


Rising From The Shadows

by TheBeardedOne



Series: Harry Of El [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Superman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 79,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27758908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeardedOne/pseuds/TheBeardedOne
Summary: From a place unexpected, a new threat arises to challenge the Last Mage of Krypton.
Series: Harry Of El [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030536
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. What Has Gone Before

_The Kryptonian Scientist Jor-El, having discovered that his home-world was about to undergo a cataclysmic disaster that would destroy all life on it, chose to send his only child to a distant planet to save his life._

_Escaping the destruction of Krypton, the young Kal-El landed outside the family home of the Potters, where he was taken in by James Potter and blood-adopted, replacing the stillborn Harry Potter and being given his name. Lily Potter was unaware of the substitution thanks to a memory charm placed on her by James and apart from Sirius Black, who had opened the transport pod and provided the ritual required for the adoption, no-one else knew that the baby was anything other than the true-born son of James and Lily._

_The next upheaval in his life came a bit over a year later when the magical terrorist, the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort, heard part of a prophecy which he interpreted to mean that Harry was prophecised to defeat him. Seeking to break the prophecy, he managed to track the Potter family down, despite the secrecy charms protecting them, and proceeded to kill both James and Lily Potter. However, his efforts came to nought when he attempted to slay young Harry and his magic back-lashed, destroying his body and causing his spirit to flee._

_Placed with his relatives on his mother's side, Harry grew up unloved and effectively ignored. His cousin tried to bully him, but Harry's Kryptonian heritage proved to be a potent counter and with only a few demonstrations of his inhuman strength and toughness, Harry and the Dursleys reached an agreement, limiting their interactions to the bare minimum required while Harry raised money for himself by working as a paperboy for a local newsagent._

_The status quo was shattered on the day that Harry's Hogwarts Letter arrived and Harry, not knowing of his heritage or inheritance, wrote back to say that he did not believe that he could afford to attend. In response, the half-goblin Charms Teacher Filius Flitwick set out to help Harry claim that which legally belonged to him and prepare for his years at Hogwarts._

_During his introduction to the Magical World, Harry arranged to be emancipated, an act which shattered the protective wards around his former home. Alerted to the removal of the protections he had put in place a decade prior, Albus Dumbledore traveled to Little Whinging where he discovered that the assumptions that he had made about the Dursleys taking Harry in as a member of their family had been in error, a mistake compounded by the fact that the Dursleys had not known (or been able to collect) the stipend intended to offset the increased household costs. To make amends, Albus arranged for the entirety of the planned stipend to be delivered to the Dursleys, who promptly used it to move to a new home, one without the memories of their unwanted guest._

_For Harry, life was looking up. He had located the site of his family's home (prior to it being burned down) and arranged for it to be rebuilt, but he also discovered something else. In a secret basement was the rocket ship that had brought him to Earth, a rocket ship containing an AI based on his father. After learning about his true origins, Harry concealed the rocket ship and prepared to go to Hogwarts._

_At Hogwarts, Harry was sorted into Ravenclaw along with his two newest friends, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. Together, they began their education in the ways of magic, aiding each other whenever they could and eventually offering help to others via a study group._

_Harry and Hermione's friendship was cemented firmly after Harry rescued her from a Troll at Halloween. Although Harry used his more-than-human abilities to take down the Troll, Hermione finally decided that it had to have been a form of on-purpose accidental-magic, a conclusion that Harry happily went along with._

_One of the ripples of the Troll incident was that Harry was allowed to try out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team (after three of the former players had been officially stripped of their positions), earning the position of Keeper. After his first match, his reputation for being able to block every single attempt at scoring spread throughout Hogwarts and beyond. Despite his abilities, though, it was Gryffindor that managed to secure the Quidditch Trophy._

_Harry also discovered that a magical relic had been hidden in Hogwarts and soon had a fairly good idea of the obstacles protecting it. This proved useful when Hermione was dragged into the gauntlet by the spirit of Voldemort and its host, Harry was able to race through the challenges, almost without slowing, and defeat the Dark Lord with an uppercut that sent his borrowed body into the ceiling._

_Due to being knocked out by Voldemort after she had failed to procure the Stone for him, Hermione did not remember much of what had occurred while Neville had been hit by an Obliviate that ensured that he didn't even know that Hermione had been in any danger._

_To Harry's surprise, Hermione_ had _managed to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone and had concealed it from Voldemort. After she contacted the creator of the Stone, Nicholas Flamel, she received word that it was an enchanted fake and instructions on how to break the spells on it, leaving her with a lump of Mithril._

_After the end of the first Hogwarts year, Harry returned to the Pottery, where the AI Jor-El was waiting to greet him, having rebuilt the mansion to incorporate concealed Kryptonian technologies._

_However, the Wizarding World was still holding many surprises for the young Kryptonian…_


	2. Summer Events

Harry closed the book and glanced at the cooling cauldron, wisps of sparkling steam occasionally rising from its shimmering gold surface.

" _Sir, you requested a two hour warning."_ The voice of Jor-El, his Kryptonian AI assistant, spoke.

"Thanks, Jor." Harry said, returning the book to the shelf and closing the protective glass screen over it and the other potions books. "The potion will need decanting once it's reached room temperature."

" _I shall take care of it for you, sir."_ Jor-El stated, his holographic form rippling into visibility.

"How's the extension conversion going on?" Harry asked as he headed for the door of the potions lab.

" _The conversion has been completed, it is now fully Kryptonian like the rest of the mansion."_ Jor-El said calmly. _"I am analyzing the table placed in it ready for conversion. Do you wish me to upgrade it to holographic display status?"_

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment as he stepped through the automatically-opening door, then shook his head.

"No. Oh, put the ability in, by all means, but use the models that came with it whenever I have friends round to watch a match. Better safe than sorry and all that. Heck, Nev still gives you odd looks _despite_ the cover story."

" _As does Madam Longbottom."_ Jor-El agreed.

"How goes the analysis of the Floo?" Harry enquired.

" _I have managed to isolate the underlying patterns, although the current setup seems to require near-constant monitoring to keep it working. Despite being a highly effective form of travel for individuals, it is… rather primitive in most respects."_

"Any chance you could create a version that doesn't need the flames? Perhaps a door or something?"

" _Henry Potter's journal contained several rune-sets intended for use on a vanishing cabinet that he created and sold."_ Jor-El finally supplied. _"The current rune-set can be applied to create a teleportation-room linking the mansion and your trunk. Altering the runes to allow for the creation of a Portal would be a long-term project."_

"Do it." Harry said without hesitation. "In fact, make… two sets and I'll place one in the Potter Vault with the other end in a secure room _downstairs_. Once it's in place, you can send through drones to start cataloging everything in the vault as well."

" _Due to the shielding surrounding Gringotts, a standard Drone would not work."_ Jor-El responded. _"The cabinets worked via internal transposition, a control signal could not be transmitted through them."_

"Damn." Harry said almost conversationally.

" _To perform that task, a Mechanical Servitor would be required."_ Jor-El continued. _"Your father placed the memory-cores of the two House of El units into my storage bay shortly before launch. Should you wish, I can construct new frames for them to be installed into."_

"You can?" Harry queried. "What are their names?"

" _Kelex and Kelor, previously owned by your Father and Mother respectively."_

Harry blinked. "How soon can you have them active?"

" _If I divert resources from the construction of the training halls, it could be done within twenty hours of the command to build their new frames."_

"Do it. But keep them in the basement until the party ends."

* * *

.

"Heir Longbottom, Regent Longbottom, welcome to the Pottery." Harry said with a slight bow as Neville and his grandmother emerged from the Floo, resplendent in their formal robes.

"Lord Potter, thank you for inviting us to your Ball." Neville responded, equally formally, then he looked round. "Are we the first?"

"You are," Harry confirmed. "And thanks for helping with all the invitations. I've got everything set up, the group I've hired is tuning up in the marquee which is attached to the Dining Room, so there'll be plenty of room for dancing and conversation. The wait-staff are currently seeing to setting out the Buffet while the Null-room is already loaded with a new film called _Beauty and the Beast_ , most of the kids should enjoy it and I've asked Tonks to take charge of it once she arrives with her parents."

"Sounds like you have things in hand." Augusta Longbottom commented.

"Jor-El has proven himself." Harry smiled. "His ability to levitate things into position has proven very useful."

" _Thank-you, sir."_ the AI demurred from by the door, earning a slight frown from Augusta. _"If I may be of further service, just call."_

"I still don't trust him." Augusta muttered as Jor-El faded from sight. "I've never seen a ghost who can do what he can."

"Peeves?" Neville offered.

"He's a Poltergeist. That's different." Augusta sniffed.

"What's different?" A new voice asked and all three turned to greet the new arrivals. "Wotcher Harry, Nev. Meet my parents, Ted and Andromeda Tonks."

"A little decorum if you please, Nymphadora." Andromeda sighed, earning a glower from the Metamorphmagus. "Lord Potter, thank you for inviting us to the Potter Ball."

"I admit, it's the first formal Ball that _I've_ been to." Ted commented, pulling at the raised collar of his robe. Andromeda _tssk_ 'd in irritation as she swatted his hand away before tugging the collar back into alignment.

"Stop worrying at it, dear." She scolded.

"Yes, dear."

"So, what was different?" Tonks repeated her earlier question and Harry gave a slight shrug.

"Madam Longbottom was commenting on the fact that my majordomo is actually a spirit who agreed to be bonded to this location… almost a _Genius Loci_." Harry replied, earning several unreadable looks as he explained it. "As part of the ritual used to bind him here, he remains at least partially aware of everything that occurs within the grounds of The Pottery, making him a superior guardian. He is able to adjust the wards that protect this place, making them far harder for a Curse-breaking team to bring down. He can also appear and vanish at will, letting him go instantly to wherever his name is called."

"I still don't trust this Jorel." Augusta sniffed. "There's something… _off_ about him. He doesn't act like a normal ghost."

"I never claimed he was normal." Harry countered. "But I trust him fully and that should be enough."

Andromeda nodded as Augusta subsided with another disapproving sniff.

"So, who's on the guest list?" Tonks asked. "I assume that the present company is part of the list."

"You'd be right." Harry nodded, motioning for the others to follow him. "Jor-El, put the Floo back to message-only."

" _As ordered, sir. Floo has been re-set."_

The Tonks' all looked around curiously as Jor-El's voice sounded.

"You get used to that." Neville said as they entered the main hall of the Pottery and walked through to the Dining Hall. Augusta noted the signs that floated above wooden posts by the doors, the hovering letters perfectly formed and unwavering.

"I see that you have put more thought into this than I expected." She said approvingly and Harry nodded.

"I remembered my first few days at Hogwarts. A map, or at least some signs, would have made things a great deal easier."

Neville nodded in fervent agreement.

"And here is the Dining Room with the buffet tables over there." Harry said as he led them through the doorway into the room in question. "As you can see, I've not only had many wizarding dishes made, but many _Muggle_ ones as well, such as hamburgers, pizza, various oriental foods and so on and so forth."

"Nice!" Tonks laughed, looking at the various platters being set out, each one underneath transparent rune-engraved lids to keep them in at their perfect temperatures.

"This should be quite… educational." Augusta allowed. "I do not think that I've ever tried a… pizza before."

"You'll have the chance tonight." Harry replied with a grin. "So, out here is the path to the marquee where the music will be playing."

"Where are the lanterns?" Augusta asked as she looked down the open-sided fabric-roofed corridor.

"I learned about lighting runes that cause the underneath of the fabric to glow." Harry explained, carefully omitting that he hadn't actually used them and that the fabric had been created by Jor-El in the manufactory located deep below the mansion, fabric laced with nanotech that let it glow in any color and any intensity desired assuming that sufficient power was supplied to it. "Please, follow me."

Augusta nodded approvingly at the sight of the rolled-up-blinds that would be dropped as the evening drew in to enclose the temporary walkway, then her eyes snapped to the group of musicians tuning their instruments on the raised stage in the high-roofed pavilion.

"Isn't that Celestina Warbeck?" She asked as the dark-skinned woman looked up and waved at them.

"Wow!" Tonks gasped. "You managed to hire the _Singing Sorceress_ for your Ball? How in Merlin's name did you manage _that_? Even the Malfoy's haven't managed to get her to sing for one of their Balls!"

"Several reasons including a donation to St Mungo's in addition to meeting all of her costs." Harry shrugged, then he sighed. "And I played on that damned title of mine."

"Lord Potter?" Ted asked.

" _The-Boy-Who-Lived_." Harry growled. "I _detest_ that title, but even I have to admit that it does sometimes come in useful."

" _Cough_ -Broomsticks- _cough_." Tonks supplied, earning a wry smile from Harry.

"That would be one example." He admitted, then he smiled at Celestina, who was bustling towards them, waving off the belabored-looking witch who was trying to style her hair.

"Celestina, is everything to your liking?" Harry asked and Celestina beamed at him.

"Oh, even better than I expected, Lord Potter. That Wizarding Tent you set up for us is _so_ luxurious… I've never been in one that had such a _wonderful_ bathroom before! Having a bath with water-jets is just _so_ relaxing… I'm going to have to have my own bathroom upgraded. Oh! Augusta, it's been quite a while!"

"Hello, Celestina." Augusta said with a small smile. "It has indeed, but I have been following your career with interest."

Celestina dimpled at the older lady, then looked at the others. "Young Neville? My, how you have grown! You were barely knee-high to a Crup the last time I saw you."

Neville blushed, earning a musical laugh from the singer.

"And who are your other friends, Lord Potter?"

"Celestina Warbeck, be known to the Tonks family, Theodore _Ted_ Tonks, Andromeda Tonks _nee_ Black and their daughter Dora Tonks who much prefers being known only by her surname."

Nymphodora gave Harry a look which mingled both annoyance and gratitude.

"Ted, Andromeda, Tonks, I am honored to be able to introduce you to Celestina Warbeck, the Singing Sorceress."

Celestina opened her mouth to speak, then paused as a silvery chime sounded.

" _Lord Potter, the Grangers have just passed through the main gate."_

"Thank you, Jor-El." Harry replied. "I do apologize, but I must go and greet another of my guests."

"Of course." Celestina said graciously. "Perhaps I can get to know your other friends here in the meantime."

"Thank you." Harry said with a slight bow, then he stepped back, turned and walked quickly back to the mansion, being careful not to actually run while still in view of the others.

"Where are they?"

" _Just about to pull up to the front of the mansion."_ Jor-El replied. _"You should reach the front door just before they ring the bell."_

"Or sooner." Harry stated as he entered the dining room and broke into a run.

.

"Harry!" Hermione called as she bounced out of the car.

"Hermione, Mr and Mrs Granger." Harry smiled in response as he stepped out onto the driveway and nodded to the older two. "Glad you could make it. There's still an hour before the party starts, so there should be enough time for you to get settled in, showered, changed and introduced to the Tonks' before the other guests start arriving."

Hermione tilted her head as she looked at Harry's outfit.

"Are those what formal robes _really_ look like?" She asked and Harry shook his head.

"There isn't any real pattern for Formal Robes in the Wizarding World, although for most of them, the more ornate, the better." Harry shrugged. "I've gone more for the spartan simplicity style."

"You look good." Hermione admitted as she circled Harry, then she tapped the crest located on his chest. "I recognise this as the Potter Crest, but that's _really_ fine stitching."

"I know." Harry agreed as he stepped around Hermione. "I'll carry your bags up, you're in the same suites as before. Mr Granger…"

"It's Ronald to you." Hermione's father smiled.

"…Ronald, I've had a garage put in just round the side so you can park safely. Just follow the path round, it'll be open for you. The door inside leads to a small passage that connects to the house."

"Gotcha." Ronald nodded as he opened the boot so that Harry could grab the suitcase handles.


	3. Social Maneuvering

The hum of conversation faded behind him as Harry stepped into the Floo room in order to personally meet the next set of guests. Exactly on time, the fire flared up, turned green and disgorged a trio of people, all of whom managed to exit as smoothly as if they had simply been walking between rooms.

"Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, Heir Malfoy, welcome to The Pottery." Harry said formally and Lucius Malfoy inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Lord Potter, it was very gracious of you to invite us." He replied, looking around. "I must say that the size of the windows here is quite unique. Most mansions do not have anything quite so… expansive."

"Small rooms lead to small thoughts." Harry stated, earning a raised eyebrow. "The larger the room, the bigger the thoughts you can pursue and having a room… or indeed a mansion that seems to be fully open encourages large thoughts."

"That would explain quite a bit of what happens in the Ministry." Lucius mused. "But surely having so much glass leaves you vulnerable should anyone choose to attack. Stone resists magic quite well, but glass tends to… shatter."

"This is _special_ glass, created via a secret family technique to absorb any spell directed against it and using it to reinforce the wards." Harry countered with a sharp smile. "If anyone attacks the Pottery with magic, all they will accomplish is to reinforce my defenses. Even the Unforgivables would be diverted and used to enhance the wards. On the other hand, it is possible to cast spells _outwards_ unimpeded once one has been keyed into the wards."

"Impressive." Lucius allowed. "Turning what would be a weakness into a true strength. Something worthy of a Slytherin."

"If you will please come with me?" Harry prompted and Lucius paused just long enough for Narcissa to take his arm, then they moved out of the Floo room.

"This is quite a spectacular building." Narcissa commented, looking round curiously. "Elegant simplicity… smooth lines… although I do not see much ornamentation."

"It's based an old style known as the Spartan style." Harry said as he led them towards the dining room. "The idea behind it is that the lack of distractions allow one to see the perfection of the item in question. Even the slightest flaw is obvious with this style…"

"Hence using it demonstrates that you can find or create things that are flawless!" Narcissa gasped in delight. "Whereas using lots of ornamentation implies that it's been added to hide the flaws… my beloved, perhaps we should consider re-decorating Malfoy Mansion in a similar way."

Harry hid a smirk as he led the trio into the dining hall and _felt_ Lucius freeze at the sight of Augusta Longbottom turning to face them.

"Sister!"

"Sister!"

Narcissa glided past Harry to catch Andromeda Tonks in a hug.

"Come on, there are so many interesting people you need to meet." Andromeda urged Narcissa and Lucius looked at Draco.

"You may as well find the others your age." He stated. "I believe that this may be a long evening."

"I managed to hire a couple of professional players to watch over the Quidditch pitch, or…" Harry started, only for Draco to perk up.

"Quidditch? You have a private pitch?"

"It's over that way." Harry said, motioning to the path heading to a low building. "It's a sunken pitch…"

"Which is why the Ministry raised no objection." Lucius deduced. "Very well, Draco, I see no reason why you cannot practice your Chaser drills. Which team did you hire from?"

"The Wimborne Wasps." Harry replied. "Ludo Bagman was kind enough to put me in contact with them in exchange for an invitation."

"Is Mr Bagman here already?" Lucius asked, then he looked up as a loud laugh echoed in from outside. "I do believe that my question has just been answered."

Harry tilted his head slightly. "Ah, another guest is about to arrive. The buffet is over there with drinks at the far end while the entertainment is in the Marquee, along with a second bar area. If you will please excuse me?"

"Of course." Lucius said politely. As Harry walked off, Lucius made his way to the drinks area.

"Good afternoon." The Barkeeper said politely after handing an oddly-fizzing black drink to a camera-carrying wizard that Lucius thought looked somewhat familiar. "Would you prefer alcoholic or non-alcoholic?"

Lucius looked at the bottles, then at the odd T-shaped thing mounted on the bar, one with names on it he had never encountered before.

"What is a… seven-up?"

"A type of fizzy fruit squash. Lemon and lime, non-alcoholic." The barkeeper supplied and Lucius blinked.

"That sounds… intriguing. May I have some? I believe I will need to keep a clear head, after all."

.

"Minister Fudge, welcome to the Pottery." Harry said with a diplomatic smile. "And am I correct in assuming that this lovely lady is your wife?"

"She is indeed." Cornelius said with a matching smile while the woman on his arm giggled. "Quite a place you have here… I visited the Pottery once before it fell, you really have changed it. The windows used to be small and the walls quite thick to protect against cold winters. Won't the glass let all the heat out?"

"The windows are triple-paned, meaning that in summer, the heat stays out and in winter, the heat stays in." Harry shrugged as he gently ushered the Fudges towards the gathering. "There is plenty of food and drink available, while I was fortunate enough to be able to invite Celestine Warbeck to serenade us with a few of her more popular songs."

"You managed to persuade Celestina to perform?" Mrs Fudge gasped. "Incredible! Narcissa has complained that her husband has tried several times to hire her without success! How did you do it?"

"I said _please_." Harry snarked, then he sighed at the look he was receiving. "Okay, I met her and apologized for wasting her time since I _was_ looking for entertainment for this event, but Celestina _doesn't_ _do_ private parties and I didn't find that out until one of her backing singers mentioned it. So, I apologized and asked who she would recommend, she decided I was cute and… and even now I'm still not certain what _happened_. She's like a force of nature when she gets going."

Mrs Fudge nodded happily. "I know… she's my ex-sister-in-law, but she and my brother parted amicably."

"You seem to have quite a gathering here." Cornelius noted as they walked into the dining room. "Why, I see quite a few members of the Wizengamot and several of my Department Heads… and is that Amelia Bones over there?"

"That is her." Harry confirmed, following the Minister's gaze. "Regent Longbottom was invaluable in helping to decide who to invite to this little do. Virtually everyone who holds a high-ranking position or is a notable public figure is here, except for Dumbledore. He graciously refused since he would overshadow me somewhat."

"He is quite a well-known person." Fudge agreed with considerable understatement.

"He is indeed." Harry said with a half-smile.

.

"Are all wizarding balls like this?" Ronald Granger asked as a passing wizard gave him a look somewhere between confusion and dislike.

"Usually, yes." Augusta replied before taking a small sip of her brightly-colored drink. To Ronald's carefully-hidden amusement, Augusta had tried several of the non-wizarding drinks before declaring that cherryade was undoubtedly the best drink ever and promptly having her champagne flute filled almost to the brim with it.

"It's very rare for someone without magic to attend one of these." She continued, nodding to Ronald and Joan almost apologetically. "And since only the wealthy hold balls and invite those they already know, it's incredibly rare for those who _aren't_ part of Wizarding Society to attend. As a result, most wizards and witches who _do_ attend Balls tend not to know how to react around Muggles."

"So, it's more confusion than anything." Joan summarized.

"Indeed." Augusta agreed, taking another sip of her fizzing drink.

.

"Quite a party this, isn't it?" Filius Flitwick laughed jovially.

"Indeed so." Amelia Bones replied as she nodded at a couple of passing Wizengamot members. "I see that young Lord Potter pulled off quite a social coup with the entertainment. I looked in on the room my niece was in and they were watching an odd portrait that had singing furniture in it. Something about serving food, but Susan seemed to be enjoying it, as were the others."

"Harry mentioned that Tonks had volunteered to watch over that room." Filius noted. "You may know of her, she's a Metamorphmagus who…"

"Oh, _that_ Tonks." Amelia nodded. "Mad-eye's taken an interest in her and intends to train her personally."

Flitwick raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Do make sure you have her demonstrate the technique that she helped to come up with. She aided three of my Ravens in modifying the Duellist's Shield to make something quite impressive."

Amelia felt her own eyebrows lift at the information the Charms Master had provided.

"I'll make sure to watch that."

.

"She is amazing." Bagman sighed as on the temporary stage, Celestina Warbeck sang to the backing of her chorus line.

" _You charmed the heart right out of me,  
"Don't need no broom, I'm flying free,  
"I think by now it's plain to see,  
"I'm nothing without you."_

"Indeed she is." Lucius Malfoy said in agreement, causing Ludo to jolt in shock, not having heard the man approach. "I find myself respecting Lord Potter for achieving something that I, so far, have failed to do. And at such a young age as well."

"Isn't your son in the same year?" Ludo asked and Lucius nodded.

"Indeed. He was sorted into Slytherin, just like I was all those years ago. He plans on applying to join the Slytherin Quidditch team."

Ludo blinked. "He doesn't seem to have the build for a Beater and is quite slim, so… Seeker?"

"He actually wishes to become a Chaser, although I am certain he would do well as a Seeker as well." Lucius replied, his voice calm but with hints of pride. "He is taking his duties as Heir Malfoy very seriously. Why, yesterday he asked if he could watch me balancing the Malfoy accounts."

"I never was very good with accounting." Ludo admitted with a shrug. "Of course, I have enough money that it doesn't really matter all that much."

"An advantage that we both share." Lucius smiled. "And those of us who do not need to worry too much about money are members of a truly blessed brotherhood, are we not?"

"We are indeed, my friend." Ludo agreed with a wide grin. "We are indeed!"

" _This feeling's utter bliss,  
"Yet something seems amiss,  
"Like a Dementor's Kiss,  
"You're consuming me!  
"And now you've torn it quite apart,  
"I'll thank you to give me back my heart!_

.

"Catch!"

Draco caught the flicker of motion in the corner of his eyes and spun just enough to catch the incoming Quaffle.

"Excellent!" One of the three watching players called. "Now, pass!"

Assessing the positions of his two team-mates, Draco feinted left and then delivered a textbook-perfect backhand pass.

"Good one!" The same man called. "Okay, time, land and discuss!"

Draco spiraled down, careful to keep track of all the others rather than simply dive like he had the first time (and for which he had received a five-minute lecture on why grandstanding was a bad idea except when actually playing and even then it should be done sparingly). Touching down, he glanced round again before moving to join the ranks of the other Chaser-trainees.

"Most of you have done very well." The lone woman of the trio of players said, a smile on her face and Draco felt his chest swell with pride. "In fact, a few of you may even be able to go professional if you keep improving like this."

Draco's pride suddenly turned bittersweet. Although a career in Quidditch did appeal to him, it was becoming more and more apparent to him that his mother's critique of his father as finding it hard to plan for the long-term was accurate. Only the fact that his father trusted his mother as much as he did (even to the point of letting her create the long-term plans that had ensured the continued wealth of the Malfoys) had prevented his incarceration and the beggaring of the family.

If his father screwed up much more, then Draco would have no choice but to take over.

And that would prevent him from pursuing a career outside politics.

Pushing the unwanted thoughts aside, Draco returned his attention back to the player who was talking.


	4. Political Analysis

"Well, despite the politicking that I managed to accomplish, this evening was quite infuriating." Lucius Malfoy growled as he swung his cloak off his shoulders, allowing the runes woven into the collar to carry the garment onto the waiting hook. "Not only did that Potter Brat manage to charm Fudge _without_ relying on the usual bribes and outright flattery, he also managed to get _Warbeck_ to sing for him!"

"He did indeed." Narcissa agreed calmly while Draco concentrated on attracting as little of his father's ire as possible. "Did you know that the only money he paid her was to cover the costs?"

Lucius stiffened. "…what?"

"He also made quite a substantial donation to St. Mungo's." Narcissa continued. "Almost forty thousand galleons to the Janos Thickory ward."

"That's where the Longbottoms are." Lucius said slowly. "Do you think he knew that?"

"Neville Longbottom is his room-mate." Draco offered diffidently as he hung up his own cloak. "Him _not_ knowing would actually be more surprising."

"I see." Lucius said, bringing his temper back under control. "That one Ball has more than countered the lingering effects of the story I had planted in the Prophet. Having Warbeck singing _Happy Birthday_ to him and Heir Longbottom while that cameraman from the Prophet took pictures… getting the tide of public opinion back to our side will be… problematic."

"Problematic, but not impossible, my love." Narcissa smiled. "The public is fickle and easily swayed. You just need to find a way to sway them back."

"Indeed, my beloved."Lucius almost purred. "All I need to do is show that the modernists are not able to do what is needed to do what is required and… and I know _just_ what to do!"

Narcissa looked at her husband quizzically, but he simply smiled and strode out of the room.

"Oh dear." She sighed. "Draco, I'll see you in the morning. I need to try and find out what your father has in mind _this_ time."

"Yes, mother." Draco replied. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, my son."

.

"Well, that was quite a get-together." Amelia Bones commented as she accepted a glass of Firewhiskey from her long-time political ally, Augusta Longbottom, the pair having returned to Longbottom Manor. "But I have to ask, why did he invite Malfoy? Are they allies or something?"

"No, they aren't." Augusta replied as she sat down, cradling her own glass. "However, snubbing Malfoy would have also been a public snub to all of _his_ allies, meaning that they would have had a reason to take action against Lord Potter, maybe even barring him from taking his eventual place in the Wizengamot. On the other hand, by inviting Malfoy to a Ball where the one singer that he has never managed to hire is performing for costs only, that's a massive blow to his reputation, one that he has to simply smile and accept gracefully."

"And Fudge is one of Malfoy's allies." Amelia sighed, then she waved her hand. "I know, I know, they're not _Ally_ allies, but Fudge listens to Malfoy a _lot_."

"He also listens to Dumbledore a lot," Augusta offered, "but now Potter's shown he's available as an ally too."

"Dumbledore didn't show up." Amelia mused. "Was that a deliberate action? Perhaps to imply that Lord Potter is his own man and not a mere follower?"

"It could be taken that way." Augusta agreed with a slight shrug. "In fact, it almost certainly will. Albus is always the center of attention at social events which means that by not showing up, he's saying that _Harry_ is the one to pay attention to, not him."

"Subtle, but effective." Amelia commented wryly. "Of course, by doing so, he's also placed Harry in position to start building his own faction."

"Neville noted that Harry is rather independent." Augusta smiled, lifting her glass as if in a toast. "I believe that Albus has realized that too and decided that a hands-off approach would be best."

"Unusual for him." Amelia frowned. "I wonder what happened to cause that?"

.

"Ah, Filius. How fortuitous to meet you here."

Filius rolled his eyes before turning to face the Headmaster who had just exited the Three Broomsticks.

"Albus." The Duelist returned the greeting politely even as he mentally cursed himself for having that third Firewhiskey at the Hog's Head. "I was just heading back to Hogwarts."

"As was I." Albus smiled. "I trust that you enjoyed your evening?"

"I don't get invited to many balls." Filius replied. "It was certainly quite interesting, seeing wizards and witches in their natural environments."

Albus gave his shorter colleague a glance of wry amusement. "I have found their activities to be rather amusing, myself. I look forwards to reading about it tomorrow in the Prophet."

"Xenophilius was there as well," Flitwick noted, "Although he did a very good job of staying low-key. I believe that the Quibbler will have an interesting take on it."

"Out of interest, has young Harry any House Elves in his employ? I believe that his grandparents had two..."

"He doesn't need them." Flitwick smirked. "His mansion is a _Genius Loci_ that can move things around inside it as well as manifest its awareness as a ghost. I talked to him, he called himself Jorel."

"…I'm not aware of any member of the Potter line of that name." Albus frowned.

"Apparently, he became what he is in order to serve the Potter Line, but he only awoke fully a couple of years ago, during the rebuilding of The Pottery." Filius shrugged. "Since he's also tied into the protections around The Pottery, it is quite an interesting mental exercise to consider how the wards could be taken down."

"With an actual intelligence guiding them? Manipulating them for maximum effect without a single second's delay? Deploying counter-measures and targeted offensive strikes? I wouldn't wish to try." Albus shivered. "Well, it would seem that my fears about young Harry's safety were completely unfounded, for which I am most grateful."

The duo walked in silence for several minutes as the gates of Hogwarts rose in front of them, then Albus broke the silence.

"I did hear some unusual rumors at the Three Broomsticks. Does young Harry really have his own Quidditch pitch?"

" _Lord Potter_ does indeed, one which is recessed into the ground in order to make concealing it easier." Filius confirmed while trying to hint to Albus that his preferred term of reference for the student in question may not be fully appropriate. "He also has one of the new Quidditch Tables."

"Ah yes, Professor Vector asked me to convert several adjacent classrooms into a special room to hold the one her students created." Albus nodded. "This means that many of our students will be able to watch the matches even as they listen to them on the Wireless. Truly amazing."

"And we have Miss Granger to thank for the original idea that sparked it all." Filius gloated.

"We do indeed."

.

"Dolores?"

"Yes, Minister?" The Undersecretary in question simpered as Cornelius Fudge strode past her towards his office. "Is there a problem? I wasn't expecting you to return until Monday. Do I need to summon Madam Bones?"

"No, nothing like that. In fact, I've just returned from an event that she was attending too." Cornelius waved off Umbridge's concern as he entered his office, Dolores following him as she pulled out an Ever-Inked Quill and notebook. "I just need to make some notes before I forget them."

"Of course, sir." Umbridge responded, angling her notebook ready to note down his words. Fudge leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers across his belly as he ordered his thoughts.

"First, it would seem that Potter hasn't learned about our… _misadventure_ last year, so as long as no-one talks, there won't be any fall-out over it."

"That is very reassuring, sir." Umbridge commented as her quill almost danced across the page.

"I agree." Fudge sighed. "Second, Dumbledore did not attend."

"Interesting." Umbridge mused. "When he does attend social events, he tends to be the most important person there, even more important than the person hosting it."

"Which is why I believe that it was a message that he has no intentions to overtly bring Potter onto his side." Fudge concluded. "This means that either Potter is going to be a covert ally or the leader of a completely separate faction."

"Not an adversary?" Dolored queried and Fudge shook his head.

"Dumbledore would have been there if that was the case. He prefers to keep track of all the alliances and oppositions in politics and if Potter was actually opposed to him, he would have been there and paying _very_ close attention to everything that was going on."

"That does make sense, sir."

"Third, contact the Unspeakables. Potter has a special type of glass that can absorb spellfire and redirect it to strengthen the wards it's linked to. I want the same so I can have bigger windows."

"The security aspects would be quite important, too." Umbridge mused. "So noted, sir."

"Fourth, another project for the Unspeakables." Fudge continued. "The possibility of ghosts controlling wards..."

"Sounds risky, sir." Umbridge interjected. "Ghosts tend to be very… _opinionated_. You would have to choose the ghost in question very carefully."

"…controlling wards and how to _break_ said connections." Fudge finished, earning a nod of understanding from Umbridge. "I know I was just an Obliviator before I entered politics, but even I know a few things about Wards. Having Wards that can actively strike at Curse-breakers? Not good. If we ever need to capture Potter, we need a way past his defenses."

"Who cast the Wards?" umbridge asked. "Surely we have the Ward Schema in the archives somewhere…"

"The Goblins and no, we don't. At least, not any more." Fudge growled. "I checked. The plans we _do_ have are outdated and the weak-points are no longer where they were, assuming that they even exist any more."

Umbridge gave a nod of annoyed understanding. The Ministry of Magic had specific guidelines that all certified Warders followed, guidelines that included the need for carefully-placed weak spots that would allow those who knew of them to collapse the wards within minutes. Said weaknesses were carefully kept secret so that only those with access to the Shadow Archives knew about them.

Even Hogwarts had weak points in its wards, a quiet triumph for the Ministry when it oversaw the recasting of the protections in question two centuries prior.

"Under certain circumstances, that could prove rather… problematic." She admitted.

"Fifth, Potter managed to hire Celestina Warbeck." Fudge said with a slight smile. "He seemed to be on good terms with her and I overheard something about a donation to St Mungos."

"I'll have the details on that by Monday." Dolores promised.

"Sixth," Fudge continued, "Potter seems to engage with the Muggle world."

Dolores hissed slightly.

"He sourced quite a bit of food and drink from there and hired quite a few Muggleborn to act as servers."

"No House-elves?" Umbridge asked despite herself.

"No, he doesn't need any, apparently. The ghost tied to his wards also acts like a house-elf in many ways."

"Sounds very secure." Umbridge sighed. "No chance of getting an operative in to keep a close eye on him."

"Unfortunately not." Fudge agreed. "We can still watch him at Hogwarts, though. Draft a message to our agent there."

Umbridge scowled slightly at the reminder of the Squib who worked in the hallowed institution, but she managed to compose herself before Fudge noticed her lapse.

"Seventh." Fudge continued, "It would seem that despite not knowing of the… _incident_ , Potter has a dislike of Lucius. I'm not sure why, though."

"I can make inquiries if you wish, sir." Umbridge offered and Fudge shook his head.

"Not this time, Dolores. I think that's about it for now."

"I'll have the list written up and the research added by the time you get in on Monday, sir."

"Thank you, Dolores." Fudge smiled as he levered himself out of his comfortable chair. "There are times when I don't know what I'd do without you."

Dolores smiled at the compliment.

* * *

.

_**Party At The Pottery** _

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Last night, The-Boy-Who-Lived hosted a high-society Ball at The Pottery, the ancient  
_ _home of the Potter Family which was destroyed in the war against You-Know-Who  
_ _and was recently rebuilt at the behest of Harry Potter, the last son of the Potter Family._

_The rebuilt Pottery is quite a sight to see with its outer walls replaced by floor-to-ceiling  
_ _windows of the finest glass, not a single bubble to be seen. The internal walls are smooth  
_ _while the ceilings boasts integrated glow-panels that cast a clear light far superior to that  
_ _of traditional candles and lanterns. The furniture that adorns the rooms is that which once  
_ _filled the previous iteration of The Pottery, retrieved from the Gringotts Vault in which it  
_ _had been kept and placed with loving care back in the very rooms they had come from._

_The grounds of The Pottery are just as amazing. The back lawn is easily large enough to  
_ _host a broomstick race and to one side is a Quidditch pitch, lowered below normal ground  
_ _level to make it easier to conceal, an innovation which will no doubt be copied by many of  
_ _the families who follow Quidditch and wish for their own pitch, but lack the finances to  
_ _maintain the needed wards that keep a normal pitch concealed from the view of Muggles  
_ _that often live nearby._

_The Ball (which also doubled as a celebration of the birthday of The-Boy-Who-Lived) served  
_ _also as the celebration of the birthday of his best friend and Hogwarts Room-mate, Neville  
_ _Longbottom. Both boys were serenaded with a perfectly-sung rendition of_ Happy Birthday  
 _by Celestina Warbeck, the famed Singing Sorceress whose presence alone marked the Ball  
_ _as being something extraordinary_

…


	5. To Diagon

"…how?" Hermione asked as she stepped out of the small room into a completely different place from where had been moments before. "And where?"

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Harry grinned, motioning to the small flat they were standing in. "The room we were just in is a large version of a Vanishing Cabinet. One of my ancestors noted down the runic arrays needed to transpose the insides of two cabinets. I just had the runes placed in the walls of that room and one exactly the same size back at the Pottery so that when both doors are closed, the rooms switch over. Much easier than using the Floo… cleaner too."

"I agree." Ronald said as he stepped past his daughter and looked out of the window, down at the bustling street below. "But, isn't this a weak point? If anyone breaks into here, they can get into your home through that room."

"Yes and no." Harry admitted as Joan joined her husband by the window. "While the Switching Room is a _technically_ weak spot, the room it opens into has more security wards, spells and other stuff than any other room in the Pottery. Not surprising, since that room is also the Floo room. Plus, simply leaving the door open prevents the switch from occurring."

"Ah, that makes sense." Hermione admitted. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"I have a couple of trunks I need to put in my vaults, so I think visiting Gringotts first may be a good idea." Harry suggested.

"I can swap some Pounds into Galleons while I'm there." Hermione agreed. "Sounds like a plan… but where are these trunks of yours?"

Harry tapped his pocket and Hermione face-palmed.

"Shrunken. Why didn't I guess that?"

Harry simply smirked as he walked to the door and Hermione caught a brief flash of light as Harry touched the handle.

"What was that?"

"Security ward." Harry explained, opening the door. "I've set it so that only those I've attuned it to can open the door. That's you and Neville, by the way. Hmmm, now that I think about it, do you want a new wardrobe? If we put a second one in the Pottery just off the Floo Room, all you'll need to do is climb inside it and you can then use this flat to visit Diagon any time you want."

"It'll also give Hermione twice as much space for her clothes." Joan laughed, causing Hermione to blush.

"I'll make sure the wardrobe in question is warded so only you can access it." Harry continued, then he grinned. "Think of it as a delayed birthday present since I missed yours last year. Hmmm, maybe I should offer the same to Neville too, although I'd have to sub-divide that room somewhat… then again, I could probably have it done within a week or so. Just say yes and I'll have the wardrobe sent over when it's done."

Hermione nodded, unable to form an actual sentence and Ronald gave Harry a quizzical look.

"Out of curiosity, why are you doing so much for my daughter?"

"Because she's my friend." Harry said firmly. "My _first_ friend. Ever. I look after my friends."

"Admirable." Ronald nodded. "I approve. Now, I believe we have some shopping to do and a massive battle ahead of us."

Hermione face-palmed as Harry gave Ronald a confused look.

"Battle?"

"Dragging Hermione out of the Bookshop with less than fifty books."

"Daaa-aaad!" Hermione protested as Harry started to laugh. "Ha-aarry! It isn't that funny!"

"Sorry." Harry apologized as he managed to stop laughing. "But given you can out-bookworm most of the other Ravens…"

Hermione _huff_ ed at him before stalking to the door.

"Coming?"

* * *

.

"Seven books by the same author?" Harry mumbled in disbelief as he re-checked his list. "Who _is_ this Gilderoy Lockhart person, anyway? Is our new teacher a fan of his?"

Hermione sighed at the sight of the sign adorning the front of the bookshop. "We're a day too early to get the books signed. Look."

Harry followed her gaze and his eyebrows lifted slightly at the garish sign with the letters flashing almost randomly between gold, silver, blue and red.

' _Tomorrow, World-Famous Author Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing books here for his fans'_.

"He must be raking in a fortune." Harry shook his head. "I mean, seven books per person for the entire year? Plus replacements as people lose the books or have them damaged…"

"Blasphemy." Hermione muttered, causing Joan to muffle a giggle.

"Something like this would allow this Lockhart to live comfortably for several years at least." Harry continued as he followed Hermione into the shop. "I hope the books actually hold information. I'll have to have Jor-El check them over for me when I get back. He's good at things like… the _heck_?"

This time, it was Hermione who followed his gaze to a large bookcase in the far corner, one adorned with the legend _'The Adventures Of The-Boy-Who-Lived!'_

"Those are our best-selling lines." One of the shop assistants smiled at him from where she was re-stocking a shelf. "All the children nowadays have been raised on these books."

"Heh, those look almost like the books that Hermione used to read when she was very young." Ronald mused, walking closer for a better look."

"Shouldn't we get the books that Hermione needs first?" Joan asked as Ronald ran a finger along the spines of the books, humming thoughtfully. "What were they again?"

Hermione fumbled for a moment as she unfolded her list. "Umm, Break with a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, Travels with Trolls, Voy…"

"Ah, the First to Fifth-year books for Hogwarts." The assistant noted. "We have the sets over there, but you know that Gilderoy Lockhart himself is signing copies tomorrow?"

"First to _Fifth_ year?" Ronald asked suspiciously. "Surely the higher-year books should be more advanced?"

The assistant shrugged as the four followed her to the table piled high with books arranged in packages of seven, each small pile wrapped in a silver ribbon. "We just stock the books we're asked to." She noted. "The books are five Galleons each, which means that each package costs…"

"Thirty-five Galleons." Ronald winced. "Sorry, Hermione. Looks like you won't be able to stock up on books as much this year."

As Ronald picked up one of the stacks and carried it towards the counter, Harry tapped the assistant's arm to get her attention.

"Can I place an order for one of each of the books from that collection?" He asked, pointing to the _Boy-Who-Lived_ shelves. "To be picked up in about an hour?"

The assistant's eyes widened as she realized who he was. "O… of course!"

* * *

.

"Aaaaaand _sorted_." Hermione sighed as they exited Madam Malkin's, having had their robes re-sized (or replaced) as needed. "I think that's it. Anything else on the list?"

"I need to pick something up, so I'll meet you back at the Pottery." Harry said and Ronald nodded.

"Okay. I'm partway through a chess game with that ghost-butler of yours, anyway. He's incredibly good at it, although his overly-logical approach means I'm slightly in the lead."

Hermione smiled, stroking the larger-on-the-inside-and-magically-lightened bag in which her new books resided. "I'll see you soon."

"In the library." Harry joked, learning an eye-roll and a significant lack of denial. "Have fun."

"I intend to." Hermione stated as firmly as she could, causing her mother to hastily lift a hand to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her giggles.

* * *

.

"I'm back!" Harry called as he entered the library. Hermione waved at him without looking away from the book she was engrossed in and Harry pulled out a shrunken truck from his pocket. Placing it on the ground, he tapped it with his wand to unshrink it, then opened it up.

"Jor-El, unpack and shelve, please."

" _Of course, sir."_

"Oh, that is _so_ unfair." Hermione grumbled as she watched the books rise out of the trunk and fly to their positions on the shelves. "Automatic sorting?"

"You can simply ask Jor-El for whichever book you need and it'll come to your hand." Harry supplied and Hermione sighed.

"So unfair." She repeated, then she looked quizzically at one of the books that instead of flying onto a shelf, had settled in the hands of the statue of a robed woman standing in one corner of the room, the pages almost blurring as they turned. "Um, what's going on with that?"

"Oh, Jor-El's just using the statue of my mother to read the new books." Harry replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Since he remembers _everything_ he reads, he can compare things for me, or look things up."

The book lifted out of the statue's hands and a second book moved in to replace it, opening up and the pages turning rapidly.

"That is just _so_ unfair." She repeated again, then she ostentatiously turned back to her own book. Harry smirked, then walked up one of the stairs to the Restricted Section, passing between the Warding Posts and feeling the Wards briefly passing over his skin. Once inside the protected area, he sat down and Jor-El manifested in front of him.

"How are the projects coming along?"

" _Kelex and Kelor are both on-line and ready for deployment, sir, while work has resumed on the training areas."_ Jor-El reported. _"The Trunk-rooms have been confirmed as active. The Vault Trunk link is located in the Armory while the School Trunk links to a re-purposed storage closet in the Floo room."_

"Excellent work." Harry nodded. "And the wardrobes?"

" _They will be completed within three hours, sir, and the relevant storage closets have been modified accordingly. When do you wish to present them?"_

"The day before we go to Hogwarts would probably be best, so the day after tomorrow." Harry decided. "What are their designs like?"

" _I took the liberty of sending a probe to scan the Granger House and Longbottom Manor, sir."_ Jor-El stated. _"The wardrobes will match the existing furniture of the recipients rooms."_

"Excellent work." Harry congratulated the AI.

" _I exist to serve, sir."_

"You may need to add a one-time shrinking charm to Hermione's wardrobe, one deactivated easily by someone without magic so that her father can take it back to her home for her." Harry mused, earning a nod of agreement from Jor-El. "And have you scanned any of those _Boy-who-lived_ books yet?"

" _I have just finished scanning the final one and am processing the file, sir."_

"How bad is it?"

" _Those books are… less than good, sir."_ The AI said disapprovingly _. "Several of them are effectively copies of non-magical books with the name of the hero changed while others… the writing style is sadly lacking. Most of them are even below the writing of the amateur author known as TheBeardedOne."_

Harry smirked at the damning comment. "And according to the books, what have I done?"

Jor-El paused for a second as he correlated the information _. "Would you prefer the list randomly, by publishing order, story chronological order…"_

"Sure, go with that." Harry sighed.

" _Very well. Age one, defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort. That is the only verifiable story, although the actual means remain unknown. Defeated a vampire, defeated three ghosts, competed and won in a broomstick race…"_

"When I was _one_?" Harry interjected. "What the _hell_?"

"… _confronted a Sphinx and won the battle of riddles, used magic to build a castle in the clouds to live in. Age two, defeated a trio of Dark Lords, confronted and tamed a rampaging dragon. Rode a Unicorn and a Pegasus while locating a magical relic. Defeated a Dark Lord duumvirate. Defeated…"_

Harry groaned at the seemingly endless list.

"Harry Potter is truly a great wizard." An unfamiliar voice marvelled and Harry's reflexes slammed into life. The world around him stopped briefly as he grabbed the short being that had appeared.

"Who are you!" He demanded and the being stared at him with bulbous eyes.

"Harry Potter must not go to Hogwarts! There is great danger!"

Harry looked at the small being and then it vanished from his grasp.

"How did it do that? _What_ was it?"

" _Checking wizarding databases."_ Jor-El said, referring to all of the wizarding books that Harry had acquired and had the AI scan. _"Intruder identified as a House Elf. A race of beings who rely on a symbiotic bond with wizarding families to exist. They require ambient magic to sustain themselves and in exchange, they perform menial tasks such as cleaning."_

There was a pause, then Jor-El spoke again. _"I have tracked down a document in the archives that indicates that the Potter Elves were seized by the Ministry of Magic after the deaths of Lily and James Potter, and reassigned to the home of the Minister of Magic."_

Harry frowned. "Did we receive compensation?"

" _Excluding the single Galleon received for the house in Godric's Hollow, no, sir."_

Harry's frown deepened.

"Okay… so any ideas how we can get them back _without_ turning Fudge against us? They'd probably reduce the workload for you quite a bit. And while I'm considering that, _how_ did that elf get through your wards?"

" _I am analyzing the sensor data as we speak, sir."_


	6. Travelling To Hogwarts

"Bye mum, bye dad." Hermione gave her parents a hug, then looked over to where Neville and Harry were standing by the fireplace and carefully not paying any attention to her tearful separation from her parents.

"Take care." Joan smiled as Hermione finally released her hug and slowly trudged over to join the other two.

"I'm ready." She said and Harry offered the bowl of Floo powder to her. Hermione patted her pocket to ensure that her shrunken trunk was still there before taking a pinch of the sparkling powder and throwing it into the fireplace. As the flames turned green, she announced her destination.

"Platform Nine and three quarters!"

Neville and Harry watched her vanish, then Neville gave Harry a mischievous look.

"Since you still tend to come out at high speed, I'll go next so I have a chance of catching you. Platform Nine and three quarters!"

Neville vanished through the flames before Harry could launch a comeback and he looked at his smiling audience.

"It's been good having you here." He told them. "If you wish to wait before going back, Jor-El will be happy to look after you."

"Thanks, but we need to head out now anyway." Ronald shrugged. "Those teeth won't fix themselves. Look after my angel for me, won't you? I'll have the wardrobe installed in her room by the end of the day, so we won't need to drive all the way out here when we meet up at Christmas."

"I look forwards to seeing you then." Harry grinned as he returned the bowl to the mantelpiece, then threw the pinch of powder in his hand into the fireplace. "Platform Nine and three quarters!"

Harry stepped into the now-green fire and felt the world spinning around him, then _something_ impacted him, sending him careening in a direction that he'd never felt before. The whirling fireplaces around him spun faster and faster, then he found himself flying out of the fireplace and into a place that he didn't recognize.

"Ow." He muttered as he picked himself up and looked round, pausing at the odd style of buildings outside the window of the bar he had ended up in. "Erm, where am I?"

"English?" A heavyset man with a huge beard asked and Harry nodded. "Ha! You far from England. Zis Bulgaria! How you get here?"

Harry had a brief mental image of the House Elf that had told him that he shouldn't head to Hogwarts. "I think I have an idea. However, I don't think I'll be trusting the Floo again for a while."

"Learn Apparition." The man advised, smirking slightly as he raised his beer stein for another drink while behind the bar, the Bartender polished a glass with the air of a man who had seen everything. "Floo is easy for others to control and send you where not want to go. Apparition safer."

"Thanks." Harry shrugged, then he made his way out of the building. Once outside, he reached into one of his inner pockets, extracting a metal-framed crystal. Glancing around to check no-one was within easy hearing range, he lifted the crystal so that he could speak into it.

"Jor-El?"

" _Yes, Kal-El?_ " The AI responded through the small ear-bud in Harry's ear canal. " _You do not appear to be on the train._ "

"I'm not. The Floo system was interfered with." Harry grumbled. "I need transport. Have you finished building that shuttle you mentioned a couple of weeks ago yet?"

" _The shuttle is complete and its stealth systems are fully functional._ " Jor-El replied. " _Calculating flight-paths now. I suggest that you head to to the outskirts of the village for pickup._ "

"On my way." Harry said, then he returned the comm to his pocket, then he looked round and pulled out the comm again. "Jor-El, just out of interest, _exactly_ where am I?"

" _The town you are in is called Nadarevo, sir, local time is ten to one in the afternoon. Utilising triangulation, I calculate that you are currently standing about twenty meters from the road designated 5102. I would advise turning left onto it and continuing until you reach the field on the left."_

"Thanks." Harry disconnected and started walking, glancing at the sun which was past its apec. "Damn, I wonder how long the shuttle will take? And how good its stealth system is. A pickup in daylight? Not good…"

.

"What happened to him?" Hermione fretted as she looked out of the window at the platform now starting to slide away. "He was just behind us with the Floo…"

"He may have mis-pronounced the name and ended up somewhere else." Neville mused, trying to calm Hermione down. "He's sensible. He'll probably send Grace to Hogwarts requesting a pickup or simply catch the Knight Bus."

"The what?" Hermione asked, distracted despite herself.

"It's one of the alternative ways of getting places." Neville began his explanation. "My gran hates it, but that's because it isn't very comfortable. It's a purple triple-decker bus…"

Hermione listened, absolutely fascinated, as Neville explained about the vehicle in question.

.

The comm in his pocket vibrated and Harry reached for it.

"Yes?"

" _The shuttle has arrived, sir. Please prepare for pickup."_

Harry looked round at the horizon, seeing nothing more unusual than a few oddly-shaped clouds. "I don't see it. Where is it?"

" _Directly above you and descending, sir."_

Harry blinked, then looked up. For a long moment, he only saw the overcast sky, then as if by magic, a line appeared in thin air, expanding to reveal the inside of what was obviously a cargo hold.

" _Extending stealth field and activating tractor beam, sir."_

Harry grinned as he was lifted off his feet, rising into the invisible craft.

.

"Мисля, че може да са имали твърде много бира ..."

.

Harry looked down at the shrinking gap between the closing doors, then he felt himself being lowered onto them as they finished closing, forming the deck of the hold.

"Cool." He admitted, then looked round. A line of emitters ran across the mid-line of the top of the hold, one of them powering down from its task of plucking him from the field. Towards what was obviously the front, a wall-mounted ladder on the left led up to a balcony and an open door through which the cockpit was probably located. Below the balcony, the hold continued (albeit at a significantly reduced height) until it ended at an angled ramp.

"This is a _cargo_ shuttle." Harry said slowly. "I thought you'd send a passenger one."

" _The passenger shuttle is still under construction, sir."_ Jor-El's voice echoed through the cargo bay.

Harry looked round again, then strode over to the ladder. Climbing up it, he stepped onto the balcony, pausing just long enough to glance down through the mesh that served as the deck, then moving to the hatch leading to the cockpit. Stepping through, he paused again.

"What are behind these hatches?" He asked, gesturing to the doorways flanking the main hatch.

" _That would be the refresher unit and the galley, sir. The toilet, sink and sonic shower are behind the hatch to your left while the galley is behind the hatch on the right. Bunks are located on the bulkheads facing forwards."_

Harry stepped forwards and looked. Sure enough, there were three bunks built into the forward bulkheads of the two compartments.

"…huh. Nice. Hmmm, may as well get changed. Shame I don't need a snack or a nap at the moment…"

* * *

.

"So, here you… where's Potter?"

Hermione and Neville looked up from the game that they were playing and the new arrival stared blankly at the board with dozens of plastic pieces on it.

"What's that game?" Draco asked curiously.

"It's called Risk." Hermione said. "We were just getting started. And something happened to Harry, he's making his way to Hogwarts separately… we think…"

"Oh, okay." Draco shrugged, then his gaze sharpened "Is that a map of the world? What's the aim of this game?"

"World conquest." Neville shrugged, picking up three red dice while Hermione scooped up two white ones.

Draco turned and hissed a couple of words to Crabbe and Goyle, causing them to nod and then shamble off, before turning back to the confused Ravenclaws.

"It looks rather interesting. May I join in, please?"

Hermione gave Neville a startled look at Draco's unexpected politeness.

* * *

.

" _We have arrived, sir._ " Jor-El said and Harry sat up, looking out of the window.

"Yep, there it is. Are you getting good readings on it?"

" _I am indeed, sir, despite the large amounts of magic surrounding it._ "

"Those would be the wards." Harry shrugged. "Drop me just outside the gates, will you? I don't know what effect the wards will have on this shuttle."

" _Understood, sir._ " The AI said. " _I have already deployed scanner remotes, once they are in position I will be able to give you a real-time plot on all living beings within this… building._ "

Harry grinned at the mild disdain that infused the last words, then he picked up his trunk as the hatch hissed open.

"I'll be back for the Christmas break. Or I may pop back for the weekends via the trunk."

" _Very good, sir. With your permission, I'll find a place nearby to park the shuttle, just in case you need it._ "

Harry dropped down to the ground and began walking towards the gates of Hogwarts, noting the armed centaurs flanking it.

"Heh, I wonder what Hermione will say when she arrives." He laughed to himself.

.

"Yes! I've broken through your defenses!"

Draco winced as Hermione plucked his last army off the country it was defending and moved nine of her own armies in, clearing the way for her to stab into his virtually undefended interior.

"I think I'll stop for now." Hermione decided and Draco blinked.

"What? Why would you… oh, I get it! I'm out of position, so I can't launch a proper counter-attack yet against your current forces but if you advance further, I could nip in round behind you. Clever."

"My turn." Neville said as he picked up the red dice. "I'll attack the Western United States."

"Nuts." Hermione groused as she picked up the two defending dice and glowered at the two armies she had defending the territory. Both of them rolled and Hermione sighed.

"You're lucky with those."

"Luckier than you think." Neville smirked as he removed the defending armies and replaced them with two of his own. "That's eighteen territories I hold, with at least two armies in each."

Hermione and Draco both glared at the mission card that Neville had triumphantly placed on the board, then Hermione sighed.

"I had _Conquer Asia and South America_. You?"

" _Conquer Asia and Africa_." Draco sighed, dropping the relevant card on the table and glaring at the area both had been sparring for control of and yet which was almost completely under Neville's command. "Good game, though. I see that I'm going to need to work on my tactical skills."

Hermione began tidying up, placing the plastic armies in their relevant compartments and Neville gathered the cards, shuffling them into a neat pile. Within moments, Hermione was closing the box and Draco glanced up at the luggage rack, frowning at the lack of trunks on it.

"At the risk of sounding ignorant, what happened to your…"

Draco trailed off as Hermione placed her shrunken trunk on the floor and tapped it with her wand to expand it.

"Ah, that explains it." He noted before standing up. "Thank you for allowing me to play. It was very interesting and I believe I learned quite a bit from it. Until later."

Bowing, Draco exited the compartment, leaving the duo staring after him.

"What the hell happened to him over the summer?" Hermione finally asked.

"Not a clue." Neville replied. "Not a clue. Think it'll last?"

Hermione shrugged.

.

"Ah, Lord Potter. Eager to resume learning?" Dumbledore twinkled as Harry descended the stairs from his dormitory, having placed his trunk at the foot of his bed.

"Headmaster." Harry returned politely.

"I am surprised that you are not on the train with your friends however." Albus continued.

"Something went wrong, so I had to use alternative transportation." Harry admitted."It got me here quite fast and I had Hagrid let me in… after a bit of a _discussion_ with the centaurs guarding the gate. I see Norbert's grown quite a bit during the summer. There seemed to be quite a few people there, too."

"Yes, she has." Albus agreed. "Unfortunately, she is starting to get too big for the area we keep for her. Within the hour, she will be being transported to Romania."

"Hagrid'll be disappointed." Harry noted.

"Bereft would be a more appropriate word, I feel." Albus sighed, causing Harry to nod in agreement. "His heart is perhaps the only thing bigger than his stature. Apropos of nothing, I read about your little party with interest…"

.

Draco entered a compartment and sat down, looking across to where Crabbe and Goyle were sat, then to beside him where Nott was giving him a curious look.

"What?"

"Where were you?" Nott asked and Draco snorted.

"I was trying to take over the world. It was quite an interesting experience and proved to me that we Purebloods _don't_ have the monopoly on worthy ideas."

Nott stared at him, obviously trying to work out if he was joking.

"Longbottom was the victor. He's a lot sneakier than I thought, I'll have to keep an eye on him."

Nott continued staring and Draco rose, reaching up to pull his trunk off the luggage rack.

"We should be arriving soon, I think it's time for me to get changed."

"Wait." Nott said and Draco glanced at him. "I have to know… why?"

"My mother was given an interesting list by one of her friends a while back and I decided to use one of the items on it." Draco smirked. " _Declare peace every so often. It confuses the hell out of your enemies_."

Nott's eyes widened with sudden understanding.

.

"There's the station!" Ginny Weasley bounced in her seat while Luna looked up from the book that she was writing in.

"I hope I get sorted into Ravenclaw." The blond girl smiled. "It will be nice to finally meet our pen-pal in real life."

Ginny nodded in agreement as the train began slowing to a stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation from Bulgarian – "I think I may have had too much beer"


	7. Witnessing The Sorting

"Harry!"

Harry took a step back to absorb the impact as a brown-haired projectile cannoned into him, making a valiant attempt at squeezing his ribs into powder.

"Hey, Harry." Neville said with a small wave. "What happened?"

"Something forced me to take a detour." Harry explained as Hermione finally let up on her _Hug of Doom_. "I've already dropped my stuff off at Hogwarts and you'll never guess who the new DADA teacher is."

Hermione gave him a searching look, then suddenly her face lit up. "Gilderoy Lockhart?"

"Right in one." Harry laughed, then he looked round as a new voice spoke.

"Lord Potter."

"Heir Malfoy." Harry returned just as formally.

"My mother sends her greetings and congratulates you on your social coup this summer, as do I." Draco continued. "If all goes well, I look forwards to matching my skill as a Chaser against your skill as a Keeper."

"I look forwards to it." Harry replied and Draco gave him a small bow before walking off. "Okay, what the hell _happened_? Is that Draco or have they replaced him with a lookalike?"

.

"What was that all about?" Nott asked and Draco gave his fellow pureblood a measuring look. "Using that list again?"

"I have been learning some valuable lessons on how to manipulate people and events, as well as the need to think things _all_ the way through, Theodore." Malfoy explained. "Having Potter as an active enemy rather than a mere obstacle, especially when he has been personally trained in dueling by Professor Flitwick, is not something that will end well in the long term and his actions last year indicate a degree of political awareness that approaches that of a member of the Wizengamot. I need to improve in order to be able to match him and so my mother arranged tutoring in the areas my father neglected to teach me. Oh, make no mistake, I still wish to defeat Potter and have him kneel in front of me, but I have learned that it will take far more than merely following my father's instructions to achieve that. As for following his example, that brawl he got into during our shopping trip to Diagon Alley? Most uncivilized and since _I_ have no interest in taking a boot to the groin…"

Nott nodded thoughtfully.

"Point taken."

.

"Was that Potter?" Ginny asked breathlessly as she pulled herself away from the window and followed her best friend into the now-emptying corridor. "He was already here when the train pulled in… I wonder why?"

Luna shrugged, but her normally carefree expression vanished into one of curiosity as she put her book into the trunk that she had been resting her feet on.

"I wonder if it'll make a good story for the Quibbler…" She muttered to herself.

"Firs' years over 'ere!" A loud voice called as they descended from the train carriage. "Firs' years!"

.

"Huh, Thestral-drawn carriages." Harry mused as they reached the parking area through which the other students were filtering, most of them heading towards the front. As each of the front row carriages was filled, the pair Thestrals harnessed to them would start pulling the carriages towards Hogwarts without needing instructions.

"I hope not many of the students can see the Thestrals." Harry mused and Neville nodded in agreement, remembering the requirements in question.

"Come on!" Hermione called. "Get in, then you can tell us where you've been!"

"Oh, just a little town you've probably never heard of, then I got a lift to the gates." Harry grinned. "By the way, it would seem that the Centaur herd is taking their new duties _very_ seriously."

.

.

The hall went quiet as Minerva McGonogall strode towards the large door. Reaching it, she paused and a few seconds later, the loud thumps of Hagrid hitting the door from the other side echoed.

"Just think." Neville teased. "Your pen-pals are on the other side of that door."

Hermione gave him a quick glare and Neville raised his hands in surrender even as Hagrid led the new students into the hall. As the first-years-to-be milled uncertainly, McGonogall made her way to the Teacher's Table where she retreived a stool and hat very familiar to the students. Making her way back towards the new pupils, she placed the stool down and then carefully put the Sorting Hat on top before stepping back. There was a long moment of stillness, then the Hat started to sing jauntily.

" _To learn of magic's why you came / To Hogwarts like a moth to flame,  
_ _And now you stand right here before / I send you to the Houses four.  
_ _But which House will be your fate / To find out, you will have to wait,  
_ _And when you wear me on your head / The choice I reach will soon be said._

_"To Gryffindor I may send you / A house of courage through and through.  
_ _With Hufflepuff you may depend / On finding many new true friends.  
_ _To Ravenclaw you may aspire / Their thoughts they go higher and higher.  
_ _Or Slytherin is just your style / With cunning, ambition and guile._

_"But please note that although I sort / It means much less than you have thought.  
_ _The Houses should not drift apart / All have magic in their heart.  
_ _And now at last the time has come / To sort you all now one by one,  
_ _As soon upon your heads I'll sit / And tell the world where you will fit!_

_"And so upon your heads I'll sit / And Sort you all and that is it!"_

The Hat fell silent and Harry joined in the spontaneous round of applause that filled the Great Hall. After several minutes of clapping, McGonogall held up a hand and the Hall quietened.

"When I call your name, come forwards and sit on the stool." She commanded, then she lifted a scroll and unrolled it. As she called out the first name, their year-mate Morag McDougal leaned forwards.

"That's Gilderoy Lockhart at the table over there!" She hissed. "Why do you think he's here?"

"He's going to be our DADA teacher." Neville replied calmly. "That would explain why we had to buy all of his books."

"I've had a brief read through them and he's done a _lot_!" Hermione gushed as quietly as she could while the Sorting continued.

"Creevey, Colin!"

"Gryffindor!"

"I've had Jor-El take a look at the books and he spotted some… problems." Harry countered, earning several interested looks from around the table.

"What sort of problems?" One of the older boys asked intently.

"Harper, Maximillian!"

"Slytherin!"

"According to _Holidays with Hags_ , he made a potion under the same eclipse as the one he watched in _Wanderings with Werewolves_ , for starters." Harry began. "The spell used against the Waggawagga Werewolf doesn't actually have any effect by itself _unless_ it's used in conjunction with a potion which isn't mentioned in the book."

Harry paused and looked round at the other Ravenclaws who were either paying rapt attention or arguing quietly with each other.

"In _Travels with Trolls_ , he refers to one tribe as the _Gnarled Branches_ , but their range is actually close to three hundred miles south of where he claimed to have met them…"

"Lovegood, Luna!"

"She's one of my Pen-pals!" Hermione spun round, craning to catch a glimpse of the girl she only knew through exchanged letters.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Luna! Over here!" Hermione called out as the blond girl skipped over, beaming happily. ""Everyone, budge up!"

Laughing, Neville scooted along to clear space for the new first-year to sit down beside Hermione.

"Everyone, this is one of my Pen-pals, Luna Lovegood." Hermione announced proudly. "Luna, these are…"

"MacDougal, Morag!"

Hermione halted in her introductions and her eyes darted to Morag, who looked slightly embarrassed.

"I'm Morag _Isabel_ MacDougal." the girl explained. "That's my younger sister Morag _Katrina_ MacDougal… we still don't know what mum was thinking at the time…"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Oh, thank Merlin." Morag sighed. "It would have been _really_ confusing to have us both in the same House."

"So, what are we discussing?" Luna asked curiously.

"Lockhart's books." Neville replied. "Harry's house-spirit did some cross-checking for him and it seems there's quite a few mistakes in the books, especially when you check against other sources."

"They're quite good stories, although it would seem he hasn't encountered any Crumple-horned Snorkacks… shame. Dad and I go searching for them every summer."

"The sorting's almost finished." Hermione noted. "In fact… that must be Ginny Weasley. She mentioned that like her brothers, she was a red-head."

"She'll be a Gryffindor." Luna sighed as the girl in question was called forwards. "It's a point of pride for them. You see, for generations, every single Weasley has been sorted into…"

"Ravenclaw!"

Luna's eyes widened and she spun round so fast that she fell off the bench. At the Gryffindor table, all four of Ginny's brothers had shot to their feet and were staring at her in shock.

"Well." Luna's voice came up from ground level. "That was unexpected."

* * *

.

The clinking of cutlery and the murmur of conversation died as Dumbledore rose to address the school.

"Well, now that your bodies have been fed, it is time for me to make a few final comments before you head off to your comfortable beds, perchance to dream of the magics you have yet to learn.

"First of all, may I introduce you all to none other than the famed Gilderoy Lockhart, world famous author, adventurer and this year's teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The blond man rose to his feet, flicking his cape outwards as he did so, thus making it look like a pair of wings was raising him, then he bowed deeply to the applauding students and grinned at them, his teeth briefly sparkling in the light of the thousand floating candles near the rafters.

"Thank you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore smiled as Lockhart returned to his chair. "Next, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you all not to use magic in the corridors. Be aware that the list of banned items has been updated recently and currently all seventeen feet of it are mounted on the wall outside his office for you to peruse at your leisure.  
"Third, as I am certain that many of you noticed, the Centaur Herd has begun patrolling the borders of Hogwarts and has posted sentries at the gates. I would remind you all that Centaurs are a proud people who do not take well to being insulted. Madam Pomphrey has asked Professor Snape to brew some highly effective yet _truly_ foul-tasting healing potions for anyone who angers our guardians and thus has to report to her to have the arrows removed.  
"Fourth, over summer our Quidditch pitch has been upgraded…"

Dumbledore had to pause while the cheering and wild applause crashed through the Great Hall. After a couple of minutes, he lifted his hand for silence, then unleashed a cannonblast when it failed to arrive.

"I am so glad to see how happy you are." He twinkled. "As I was saying, the pitch has been upgraded to professional standards, including the layered safety charms on the turf. In addition, the stands have been expanded and reinforced while several new sections have been added for visiting parents and the Wireless Wizarding Network announcers who will be providing commentary for us.  
"Finally, I am sad to say that our resident dragon has departed our grounds and is even now settling into her new den in the Romanian Dragon Preserve. Hagrid intends to visit her in September and those who helped to raise Norbert as part of their Care of Magical Beasts class last year will be given the opportunity to go with him for a fee of three galleons to cover transportation and other costs.  
"Now, since you all undoubtedly wish to get settled into your lovely beds and have pleasant dreams, ready for reacquainting yourself with Hogwarts tomorrow and starting your lessons on Thursday, let us finish with our beloved school song! Pick your favorite tune and let us express our joy at being here!"

Dumbledore waved his wand and the words floated in the air above him.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts / Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald / Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling / With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air / Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing / Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest / And learn until our brains all rot._


	8. The Year Starts

_To my beloved Mother and Father_

_As you may have heard, I interacted with Heir Longbottom during the train ride. During our conversation, we sparred in a Muggle game called Risk in which the aim is conquest of pre-determined continents, the capture of a specific number of territories or the destruction of one of your adversaries. For a Muggle game, it was surprisingly quite interesting and Heir Longbottom was the eventual victor. As a result of my experience, I would recommend looking into a way of turning this game into something that we Purebloods would not mind being seen playing. It is a game which prizes forethought and observation but still has an element of chance in it. It also reinforced several lessons that I have learned, such as not concentrating overmuch on a single objective and thus leaving yourself open to a devastating flanking attack._

_I have presented Professor Snape with the gift you sent and he has indicated that he will send his own thanks in a separate letter. When the Quidditch Team trials open, I will be applying for the position of Chaser. I am aware that being a Chaser is less important than being a Seeker, but at the training camp, I discovered that although I have the ability to be an excellent Chaser, I would be a_ mediocre _Seeker at best. Given the abilities of the Seekers on the other teams, I would be doing Slytherin a disservice if I tried to attain that position. Although the potential for glory would be greater, so would the potential for loss of face should we lose a match._

_As Father has instructed, I will keep watch for signs of anything strange (even by Hogwarts standards) and will keep you both appraised. On that subject, please find enclosed a list of the new students and the Houses they were Sorted into._

_With all my love and respect, I am_

_Your beloved son_

_Draco Lucius Malfoy_

_Heir Malfoy_

* * *

Draco folded the letter and sealed it into an envelope with a smirk before pocketing it.

He would detour via the Owlery to send it to his parents and then make his way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

It was good to be back at Hogwarts.

.

"Shouldn't Hermione be here by now?" Harry mused as he looked again at the staircase leading to the girls bedrooms. "Normally she's here waiting for us."

"Perhaps she's still catching up with Su?" Neville offered, then he smiled as a familiar figure descended the stairs. "I think she's done. Good morning, Hermione."

"Harry, Neville." Hermione smiled back, then she stepped sideways to reveal the pair following her in a manner reminiscent of ducklings.

"Ginny, Luna, good morning." Harry offered and Luna beamed at him while Ginny blushed. Hermione looked at the red-faced girl and sighed.

"Ginny, I told you, he didn't do most of the things in those books." Hermione whispered quietly enough that had he been limited to merely-human senses, Harry would have missed it. "Take deep breaths and calm down."

Ginny nodded and Harry waved to the doorway. "I think I can hear breakfast calling us..."

"Cooooome aaaaand eeeeeeat meeeeee!" Neville stage-whispered, causing both the younger girls to giggle while Hermione gave Neville an exasperated look.

"…so I think heading to the Great Hall would be a good move." Harry finished, then he glanced round. "Any other first-years to go the Hall?"

"I'm waiting to escort them." One of the Prefects waved lazily from her chair. "You go ahead, I'll bring the rest of them."

"Thanks!" Harry replied, then he moved towards the door. "Okay, so there are several ways to get from here to the Great Hall, but I find that the quickest is to turn left, go up two flights of stairs and then turn round and go down them again."

"What?" Ginny exclaimed. "How does that even work?"

"The stairs lead to a different place going down than they do going up." Neville shrugged. "Since Hogwarts is steeped in magic, it does some odd things to the building. Such as the main entrance's corridor on the ceiling which is in the west wing."

"Coming back is slightly more complex, though." Harry admitted. "But I'll show you the easiest route to remember. It's not the quickest, but it takes less than five minutes."

"…oh." Ginny managed. "…thanks."

.

"Wow." Ginny breathed as she looked up at the lightening clouds visible through the charmed ceiling. "I didn't really pay attention to this last night, but it's _incredible_!"

"You get used to it." Harry shrugged as he led the group to the Ravenclaw table and the couple of other students already sat there. "So, have you read ahead?"

"A couple of chapters for each subject." Ginny admitted while Luna simply nodded. "Once I know what lessons I have when, I'll know which ones to concentrate on first."

"…that's a very intelligent way of doing it." Hermione mused as she sat down, reaching for the pot of tea that appeared in front of her. "Anyone else want a cup?"

"Yes please!" Ginny and Luna chorused.

Hermione smiled as two more cups appeared on the table.

"May I have a cup too, please?"

"Professor!" Hermione squeaked, half-turning to see the diminutive teacher smiling up at her. "Of… of course! Milk? Sugar?"

"No thank you, but I would not say no to a bit of lemon." Flitwick replied as he climbed up onto the bench beside Hermione. "Harry, Neville. Good morning."

"Good morning, Professor." Neville greeted their Head of House as Harry tried to swallow the bite of bacon sandwich that he had taken just prior to Flitwick's appearance.

"I have your timetables here." Filius continued, placing an accordion folder on the table, causing Hermione to blink in surprise as she had been sure that Flitwick hadn't been carrying anything. Flitwick tapped the folder and five sheets of paper rose from it.

"Here we are!" He exclaimed, "First year… first year… and three second-year schedules."

Hermione eagerly took hers and sagged after glancing at it.

"No charms until fourth period tomorrow?" She sighed.

"Sorry." Flitwick laughed, then he glanced round at them. "You may have noticed that after tea on Friday, you're free. Since I have no lessons then either, I'll be happy to help you continue to learn more about dueling."

"Professor…" Ginny asked hesitantly. "Would it be possible for Luna and I to join in too?"

"Perhaps I could do a dueling club…" Flitwick mused, then he grinned. "Yes! There's an old dueling hall that has gone unused for over a decade. That would be perfect! All I need to do is get it back into shape again."

"Can I help?" Harry asked, having managed to swallow his mouthful, then he saw the _looks_ the others were giving him. " Sorry, I mis-spoke. Can _we_ help?"

"That would be _wonderful_!" Flitwick enthused. "I have a few other things to do first, but if we meet outside our tower at ten?"

"Sounds like a plan." Neville spoke for all of them and Flitwick grinned again at them before sliding off the bench and scuttling off, the folder levitating along behind him and his cup of tea held firmly in his hands.

"Well, my dear brother, that sounded interesting." A new voice spoke from behind Ginny.

"Indeed it did, my wonderful twin."

"Why, the things we hear as we move to congratulate a fellow prankster."

"Of course, my brother. The first Weasley in _generations_ to not be a Lion."

"How do you think our mother will react? You know how she is about tradition."

Oh, I think she'll be quite happy, brother mine. After all, she's not a _Snake_ like some people we could name."

"But I think we've got distracted. A dueling club, you say? Sounds like it could be fun."

"Indeed! Why, I feel that we ought to help out as well, you know. Show some willing."

"Us being helpful? Why brother, what a prank! The teachers'll freak out trying to discover what we've been up to!"

"Indeed! A prank _without_ pranking. Magnificent!"

"Stop trying to embarrass me, you idiots." Ginny sighed from where she had buried her face into her folded arms.

"Try?"

"I think we succeeded!"

Ginny lifted her head off the table and turned to glower at the Weasley Twins. Unaffected by her glare, the duo simply smiled angelically at her.

"The halos are a bit much." Ginny finally stated, trying hard not to laugh.

"I think they make quite a statement about our innocence and pure hearts." One of the twins noted, adjusting his halo so that it tilted rakishly.

"Your hearts are pure _something_ , alright." Hermione retorted before she could stop herself and one of the twins mimed being shot in the heart.

"And the bookworm strikes like a Demiguise from the shadows, all the more impressive for being totally unexpected!" the other twin laughed, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and turn back to her breakfast, then Grace swooped in from above, another owl supported carefully in her talons.

"Hermes!" Ginny half-shouted as she reached up and, with incredible accuracy, Grace deposited the bedraggled, elderly owl in Ginny's hands before looping round and landing on Harry's shoulder, accepting the rasher of bacon he held up for her with a dignity befitting an empress.

"It's from mum…" Ginny breathed as she carefully untied the letter from the prone owl's leg. "I… I don't know if I can read it…"

"I will!" Luna chirped and Ginny stared at her empty hands in surprise, then over to Luna who was unfolding the parchment. "She starts off saying _To My Darling Ginevra_. I think that's a good sign, don't you?"

"Why not save the commentary until afterwards?" Hermione suggested and Luna looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay. _To My Darling Genevra.  
_ " _Your Father and myself are both amazed at news that you have been Sorted into Ravenclaw. Not only have you been the first female Weasley born to the family in four generations, thus breaking one tradition, but you have shown that you are eager to forge your own path as well.  
_ " _While I do admit to a bit of disappointment that you didn't choose to enter the House of Lions, becoming a member of the House of Ravens is not something to be sneezed at. If you have the chance, please pass my greetings to Professor Flitwick, the only man who ever managed to disarm me during dueling practice. He taught me a great deal during my years there and I believe that you will learn much from him as well.  
_ " _While you are at Hogwarts, listen to Hermione. While I haven't actually met her in person, the letters that she wrote to you and Luna show that she is a good person. It is my hope that she will aid you while you are there.  
_ " _And above all, remember that you're a Weasley. Stand tall and proud and let no-one push you down.  
_ " _With all of my love,  
_ " _Molly._ "

"Thanks, mum." Ginny whispered, wiping tears from her eyes, then she let out a yelp as Fred and George pulled her off the bench and into a big hug.

"You see, little sister? Nothing to be concerned about!"

"Houses don't matter as long as you're a Weasley!"

"Gerroff!" Ginny managed to squirm out of their hug, leaving them hugging each other for a moment before they leapt apart, frantically brushing themselves off.

"Suddenly, I am _very_ glad I let the Hat talk me into being a Ravenclaw instead of insisting on Gryffindor." Hermione sighed, only to find the twins staring intently at her.

"The Hat offered you a choice?"

"Then you must be _really_ brave!"

"As brave as she is intelligent!"

"And beautiful, we cannot forget that!"

"Fred, George…" Ginny growled as Hermione blushed. "That's enough."

"Oh? Or what?"

Ginny pulled out her wand and waved it menacingly. "Or I show you a little curse that Bill taught me last time he was home."

The twins stiffened, then started backing away from her, bowing as they did so.

"Oh, far be it for us to risk angering you, sis."

"Especially if _Bill_ taught you a curse."

"He knows some _really_ nasty ones, you know."

"Comes of being a curse-break-aaah! Run!"

Ginny chased her brothers out of the Great Hall as the other students who had managed to get to breakfast early laughed at the sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are interested, here's Ravenclaw's Yr2 lesson schedule
> 
> Mon – (Free) / Potions (Lunch) Transfiguration / History (Dinner) Herbology  
> Tue – Transfiguration / (Free) (Lunch) Defense / Herbology (Dinner) Charms  
> Wed – Charms / History (Lunch) Double Potions  
> Thu – Herbology / Defense (Lunch) (Free) / Charms  
> Fri – Defense / (Free) (Lunch) History / (Free) (Dinner) / Astronomy (11 :00 – 12:30)
> 
> As you've probably realized, They arrived on a Tuesday and this chapter happened on a Wednesday.


	9. The Dueling Hall

"…And here we are." Flitwick smiled as he pushed open the door, revealing a large, approximately square room. In the middle of the room was a long stage, raised almost two feet off the ground and with steps leading up to it from each end. The sides looked almost scalloped with heavily-inscribed stones set in place in regular intervals, each stone set into a silver mounting.

Either side of the stage, the floor was flat but then it lifted up in tiers with inset steps to allow people to ascend and descend. On the far side of the stage, a dais was integrated into the standing area, raised in order to allow the person standing on it the best view of what was happening on the stage.

"I had the House Elves dust and clean it, but I still need to check the wards and so on. Of course, the best way to do that is to have someone firing low-powered spells while on the dueling platform… any volunteers?"

Several hands (and a couple of lit wands) shot up and Flitwick chuckled.

"Very well. Mr's Weasley and Weasley, if you would be so kind to step to the middle of the stage and when I give the signal, start firing spells to the ends and sides."

Fred and George, grinning widely, almost bounded to the steps at either end of the platform and proceeded to give each other incredibly complicated and dramatic bows while Filius made his way round the stage and up onto the dais where he placed his wand on the angle-topped marble pillar. The ambient light in the room brightened and Harry glanced up to see that inset into the ceiling above the dueling stage was a long glowing rectangular crystal, one which seemed to be exactly the same size as the stage below it.

"If everyone can make their way onto the viewing steps, please?" Flitwick called out and Harry allowed himself to be carried along by the others as they made their way up the stairs before turning to watch. "Now, if you look up, you will see the Warding Crystal that secures the protective shields around the Stage. The shields will stop almost any spell and most physical objects, but will not support combatants. Should you try to lean on them or fall against them, you will fall off the stage and thus lose the duel. Mr's Weasley, if you would be so kind as to meet in the middle and go back-to-back?"

The twins ceased their bowing competition and walked towards each other. Turning to stand as Flitwick directed, they pulled out their wands with identical flourishes.

"You might notice that there are no viewing steps at either end." Flitwick continued. "While the ends are shielded as well, the chance of a spell making its way through the shields is quite a bit higher. That is also why the walls at the end are engraved with runes allowing them to withstand most spells and, should they actually be damaged, be easy to repair. Now, if you would be so kind?"

Fred and George let loose with a series of spells, firing blasts of light and sound at the shields surrounding the stage until Flitwick raised his hand in a signal to stop.

"Thank you, I have now deactivated the wards. Now, as you saw, the wards dissipated every spell that hit them, meaning that trying to bounce a spell around your opponent's guard simply will not work while the stage is wide enough that you can dodge most spells should you need to, assuming you do not simply choose to deflect them. Mr Longbottom, Miss Granger, if you will take to the stage instead? Now, many of you might have heard of the Duelist's Shield which these two will demonstrate with the aid of a stinging hex and then on my command, they will proceed to demonstrate the Muggleborn Magesaber which Miss Granger developed and graciously allowed me to learn. Wards are up and… begin!"

Hermione fired a stinging hex at Neville and even as it flashed along the stage, she coated her wand in magic. Neville parried the spell, sending it back at Hermione, who blocked it with ease, returning it once again. For almost half a minute, they volleyed the spell between them at varying speeds, then Flitwick spoke.

"Now!"

The magical auras surrounding Neville's and Hermione's wands lengthened to the accompaniment of gasps from those who hadn't seen the magesaber technique before. Once again, the pair continued to bounce the stinger between them until finally, Flitwick intervened.

"…aaaaand _TIME_!"

Neville bounced the spell into one of the side wards before bowing to Hermione, who returned it.

"Well done, both of you." Flitwick smiled as he dropped the dueling wards again. "Now, you should learn several new spells in your Defence classes, so on Saturday afternoons, I will run the dueling club so that you can practice _some_ of them. I am certain that I can persuade another teacher to help out and a couple of the seventh-years have expressed an interest in becoming Referees, so they will almost certainly wish to gain experience."

Harry looked round as he heard Ginny whispering.

"Merlin! Hermione's _awesome_!"

"Now, anyone else wish to try some spell-deflection?" Flitwick asked and Harry raised his hand.

"Very good. Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy, please step onto the stage."

Harry blinked and looked round, quickly spotting the platinum-haired Slytherin. Shaking off his shock, he stepped down and made his way to the stage.

"Heir Malfoy." he said with a slight bow, one just deep enough to be polite without indicating inferiority on his part.

"Lord Potter." Malfoy returned with a slightly deeper bow, acknowledging their different social status. "Shall I fire the Hex, or do you wish to?"

"You can." Harry shrugged and Malfoy nodded, then drew himself into a slightly side-on stance, his free hand extended out and up behind him. Harry slid one foot forwards and held his wand at waist level, his other hand clenched into a fist by his hip.

"Begin!"

Draco's wand snapped out, firing a stinging hex, then it shimmered slightly as Draco encased it in a Duelist's Shield. Harry parried the spell, sending it back towards Draco and the two boys grinned tightly as they started to compete.

* * *

.

"I heard that you're starting a Dueling club." Lockhart almost chirped as Flitwick entered the staff room. "Perhaps I could offer my assistance?"

"I think not." Flitwick shot down the newest teacher ruthlessly. "Unless you've learned how to _not_ throw your wand away in the last ten years. I still remember you as the boy who needed new trousers when you first encountered one of Hagrid's beasts."

Lockhart looked hurt at the comment. "I've learned a great deal since back then, I have improved!"

"Then duel me tonight and I'll see how good you are." Flitwick shot back. "Or is the Golden Raven still just a peacock?"

Lockhart sniffed and stalked out. As he slammed the door behind him, a dark chuckle issued from the corner of the room.

"And people think that _I_ am the one without mercy." Snape chuckled, the slight smile on his face something that would have caused most students to run away screaming that the dour Potions Master had been replaced with an impostor. "You really have returned to your earlier self."

"Discovering that my house was descending into bullying and factionalism was quite a wake-up call." Flitwick admitted, moving to the refreshments area to procure a tumbler and some Firewhiskey. "I saw that Draco has been receiving some tuition over the summer, he is quite proficient with the Duelist's Shield."

Snape raised a quizzical eyebrow, then slowly nodded. "Ah, this Dueling Club that you are setting up."

"The Dueling Hall is ready for use and the first lesson will be on Sunday." Filius shrugged. "The practice room next to it has been cleaned up as well… care to join in and show that potions aren't the only thing you are good at?"

"It might cause those dunderheads to pay closer attention in Potions if I demonstrate that I can last more than ten seconds against you." Snape mused and Filius chuckled.

"Severus, we both know that had potions not been your first love…"

"…second…" Snape half-whispered wistfully.

"…then you could have become a championship duelist." Filius finished, carefully ignoring Snape's correction."Besides, it's not as if you could be worse than Lockhart was when he finally graduated. _How_ could he have done everything that he claimed? If not for his ego, he would have made quite a good Obliviator."

" _That_ comment brings up several quite worrying possibilities." Snape stated, rising from his chair and closing his book with a loud _snap_. "I think I will have my Snakes take a very close look at his self-proclaimed accomplishments."

"My Ravens already are." Filius responded soberly. "I'll have them write up their findings…"

"And I will have my Snakes do the same so that we can compare them." Snape agreed as he swept towards the door. "For now though, I need to prepare myself. Tomorrow morning, I have to deal with an entirely new year of dunderheads."

Flitwick chuckled as the door closed behind Snape.

* * *

.

Harry looked at the thing rising from his trunk, as did Neville.

"Harry?" The Pureblood asked, his tone indicating that he was one wrong word away from panic.

"It's okay, Nev." Harry said reassuringly as the thing turned slightly to face him. "It's one of my… two family golems. It took a while to get them fully activated. This one is… is… which one are you?"

" _Kelex, Lord Potter."_ The hovering robot replied in a metallic yet melodious voice. _"Jor-El tasked this unit with delivering the micro-probes required to ensure adequate surveillance."_

"Makes sense." Harry nodded. "Next time, please make sure either that I'm alone when you deliver something or that no-one's here, in which case leave it on my bed."

" _Your orders have been logged and will be obeyed, Lord Potter."_ Kelex responded, tentacles unfolding from its ventral surface to offer a crystalline box to Harry. _"The micro-probes are designed to be powered by ambient energy and Jor-El is currently relaying through the shuttle while he constructs a permanent relay for installation."_

"So, they'll give him full oversight of Hogwarts." Harry mused, opening the package and watching as the first thumbnail-sized shield-shaped probe rose out, followed by a small swarm that flooded out of the window while the original one rose to the ceiling and settled into a corner, changing its coloration until it was indistinguishable from the rest of the wall. "Cool. Oh, I have a message for Jor-El, I'll need some special things made once you've mapped out Hogwarts. Wrist-band projectors that can project a map of Hogwarts, showing the locations of people in it. Sort of like my dad and his friends did."

" _Jor-El confirms receipt of the instructions and has commenced construction of the requested interactive projectors, tentative designation Marauders Map 2.0."_ Kelex relayed. _"Query, do you wish comm systems to be incorporated also?"_

"Yes." Harry said, then he frowned slightly. "For now, I just need three. Me, Nev and Hermione."

" _Confirmed."_ Kelex responded as it began to sink back down into Harry's trunk. _"Relay from Jor-El. Warning, due to non-euclidean geometry of Hogwarts, projected map will be only 87% accurate at any given time."_

"Understood." Harry said as he dropped the now-empty container into the trunk, where one of Kelex's metallic tentacles snagged it, then pulled the trunk closed.

"You have some _weird_ servants." Neville finally stated. "What's wrong with having a House Elf?"

"The Ministry grabbed both of them." Harry growled. "I'm still trying to find a way to reclaim them without getting the Minister angry with me. I don't want to go public with it as it'll cause problems further down the line, but they're _Potter_ elves, dammit. How can I make sure they're being treated alright if I don't even know where they are?"

"Maybe Gran can help." Neville pounced on the conversational change. "She has quite a few contacts in the Ministry who may be able to track down all the things that the Ministry seized and get them returned to you… _without_ getting them all riled up."

"If anyone can do that, your gran can." Harry agreed as he locked his trunk, noting with amusement how Neville relaxed as the latch clicked into place. "For now, though, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start learning once again."

"Indeed we can." Neville said as he picked up his wand and settled into his bed, pausing only to give Harry's trunk one more suspicious look before dousing the lights. Harry managed not to laugh as he rolled into his own bed, but it was a close thing.

"Night, Nev."

"Goodnight."


	10. Lockhart

Harry would have stopped dead in the entrance to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class if not for the fact that most of the other students were pushing at him in an attempt to get through. At the overly-ornamented desk at the front of the classroom, Gilderoy Lockhart leaned against it in a pose obviously chosen to both suggest confidence and to show off his embroidered shirt and cape. His grin seemed to twinkle in the light as he waved one arm in greeting, a grin echoed by the many posters of him on the walls.

"Welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts!" he smiled broadly. "Please, come in and be seated!"

"This is going to suck." Harry growled to himself as he made his way to one of the desks near the back of the room, noting that on each desk was a small pile of paper placed face down. "Probably worse than those damn Mandrakes we were repotting."

Once everyone was seated and had pulled their books out of their bags, Lockhart pushed himself away from the desk and paced round the classroom, his cloak flaring with every step, before coming to a stop at the front of the room.

"Good morning!" He proclaimed. "As I am certain you are aware, I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. For the few of you who haven't heard of me before, and if it's more than a few, I need to have words with my publicist, I am none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin (Third Class), Honourary Member of theDark Force Defence League, bestselling author and five-times winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most-Charming-Smile Award… but I generally don't make a big thing about that. I didn't get rid of the Brandon Banshee by simply _smiling_ at her…"

" _So_ going to suck." Harry grumbled quietly enough that Lockhart didn't hear him.

"Now, I see you've all purchased the books I put on your list, so now let's see how much you've read already." Gilderoy continued. "In front of each of you is a test. You have thirty minutes, so please turn them over and begin!"

Harry turned over the papers and stared in horrified shock at the questions written on them.

_1: What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?_

_2: What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?_

_3: What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?_

Harry leafed through the pages, his horrified disbelief increasing, until he reached the final question.

_54: When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his favorite present be?_

"All these questions are about Lockhart!" He growled to himself. "Is he trying to turn this class into his own personal fan club or something?"

" _Sir,"_ Jor-El's voice came to Harry through his earpiece, _"I have been monitoring this class and one of his claims is already provably false."_

"Tell me." Harry sub-vocalized.

.

"Time's up!" Gilderoy called. "Quills down!"

Harry watched as a wave of Lockhart's wand caused all the questionnaires to fly to his desk, whereupon he tapped the assembled papers with a wand before frowning. Shuffling through the pile, he pulled out four sheets and looked at them, then his gaze rose.

"Mr Potter, any reason why you chose _not_ to do this test?"

"Because the questions had _nothing_ to do with DADA." Harry stated, knocking the books from his desk onto the floor. "How does knowing how much sage you prefer in your lasagna aid in defending oneself against… vampires or werewolves? Does knowing your favorite setting for a diamond ring help in fending off an attacker? As for your books, there are so many errors in them that they could almost be considered works of fiction!"

"That will be a detention, Mr Potter." Gilderoy stated coldly. "I would have thought that someone with your level of fame would appreciate this class."

Harry tilted his head. "Sir, as per Hogwarts Charter page two hundred and fifty-seven, section nine, subsection five, I, as Lord Potter of House Potter, hereby challenge you to a duel to prove your teaching credentials.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed and Lockhart's glare increased.

"Very well, _Mr_ Potter," He snapped. "If you want a duel, you shall have one!"

"Professor Flitwick has the Dueling Hall prepared and as a Dueling Champion, he is undoubtedly the best choice to oversee our confrontation." Harry informed the irate adult. "Sunday at one in the afternoon good for you?"

Lockhart's nod was curt.

"I won't be attending tomorrow morning's class." Harry added.

"I'd throw you out if you did." Lockhart almost snarled.

.

"What are you _thinking_?" Hermione half-shouted at Harry, who simply gave her a half-smile.

"Hermione, in my library at home, there's a self-updating book called _The Greatest Of Them All: Recipients of the Order of Merlin_. Guess who _isn't_ in it."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "He lied?"

"While he has indeed been publicly _nominated_ for one, Gilderoy Lockhart has never actually been _awarded_ any Order of Merlin, unlike the Headmaster who has _three_. Two First Class and one Second Class." Harry confirmed. "Deputy Headmistress McGonogall has a single First Class while Professor Flitwick has two Second Class Orders. Heck, _I_ have a Second-Class Order of Merlin which was awarded to me after the deaths of my parents. Lockhart? Just a note that he was considered for one, but there wasn't enough actual _proof_ to meet the criteria."

Hermione paused while around them, the other students watched with undisguised curiosity.

"All of the books show him using spells, but ones which do not appear on the Hogwarts curriculum and a few of which are known to be Family Spells."

Hermione frowned in confusion, but it was Draco Malfoy who provided enlightenment for her.

"Family Spells are those taught _only_ to members of a specific family or those who are brought into one. They can be wand spells, rituals, specific types of Wards or even a mutual reservoir of magic that they can draw upon in need, but they are well-guarded by the families in question. All the old families tend to have at least one Family spell. The Weasleys are believed by many to have fertility rituals, which is why there are so many of them. Family Spells are one reason why Purebloods dominate in the higher levels of our society. If Lockhart has been using Family Spells _without_ being part of the Families in question… I need to write to my parents. They _need_ to know this."

Draco hurried off, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

"I'll be talking to Flitwick this afternoon." Harry continued. "As I told Lockhart, _Flitwick_ 's the best choice of referee."

"They have to be neutral and you call him _Uncle Fil_ outside Hogwarts." Neville pointed out and Harry face-palmed.

"Bugger."

"Harry, language!"

* * *

.

"Interesting." Lucius Malfoy mused as he re-read his son's letter. "But the timing could have been better. My plan should be starting to work… to have something like _this_ happen…"

"Lockhart always did strike me as being somewhat fake." Narcissa said from where she was looking through several different sets of plans and pictures. "But for him to accept a duel against a twelve-year-old boy… whether he wins or loses, his reputation will be severely damaged."

Lucius nodded slowly. "I quite agree. But what to do? Naturally, since he is going to lose all the respect the pupils have for him, he should be replaced… but by whom?"

"It has been quite a while since I last walked the halls of Hogwarts." Narcissa remarked and Lucius stared at her.

"My love, it could be risky…"

Lucius' voice came to a halt as Narcissa seemed to Apparate to in front of him, her wand pressing against his throat.

"My beloved…" She purred as Lucius started to sweat. "Please tell me just _what_ your plan is… for if it puts our son at risk, I shall take _steps_ …"

If not for the wand pressing against his larynx, Lucius would have swallowed nervously.

"It's… I slipped an artifact that the Dark Lord gave me into the possessions of a Hogwarts student…" He whispered. "I was told that it would help the Dark Lord regain a mortal body and given how what happened to Quirrell proves that he has not yet passed beyond the veil…"

Narcissa frowned for a moment, then stepped away from her husband.

"All the more reason that I should be there to oversee things, my love." She stated as Lucius rubbed his throat. "After all, what would happen if this artifact ended up in our son's hands? Would you be willing to sacrifice your own heir to bring back the Dark Lord? _I_ wouldn't, our son is our future and I will not see him endangered."

"Of… of course, my love." Lucius managed. "I shall begin canvassing support immediately."

"Better to wait until Sunday, _after_ the duel concludes." Narcissa corrected him. "Let the others think that we are trying to correct the old fool's errors, rather than helping him make them."

"…of course, my love." Lucius replied with a smirk of appreciation. "As always, you know how to play the Great Game."

"Speaking of games," Narcissa smiled back at him, "How goes the testing of the game our son recommended be modified?"

"It is ready to go into production. May I ask why?"

"I think it would make a good gift to your old House." Narcissa replied and Lucius nodded in understanding. "However, I have to ask. Did your old Master explain about that so-called curse on the Defense position?"

"He did." Lucius nodded. "He told me that no Professor would last an entire year, unless they had the Dark Mark upon their arm, in which case the curse would end."

"And since the year has already started, I should be safe since there is _less_ than a year left." Narcissa deduced. "Perhaps you could push for Severus to be the Instructor from next year. I believe that Andromeda would be more than happy to teach Potions in his place."

Lucius opened his mouth, then reconsidered his reflexive protest which cause Narcissa to smirk at him. Finally he nodded slowly.

"Yes. While I personally would prefer someone who has not been expelled from their Family, I cannot deny her skill at Potions, or the fact that she would make it less stressful for the younger years. Perhaps… perhaps it would be worth leveraging a place for her this year ready for Severus to make the transfer next year, dealing with the first few years while Severus deals with those about to take their OWLs and NEWTs… a donation to Hogwarts to fund such a thing may prove useful and would certainly raise our political reputation…"

Narcissa nodded approvingly. "Once again, my beloved, you follow my thoughts well."

* * *

.

Albus gave a small smile as Filius Flitwick led Harry Potter into his office.

"Filius, Lord Potter." He greeted them, being careful to use young Harry's proper title. "Please, be seated."

Albus sat back in his comfortable chair and waited until both of his guests had made themselves comfortable before speaking again.

"I have been made aware as to Professor Lockhart's… shortcomings. Filius showed me the list you gave him and I've contacted a few of my overseas friends, asking them to do some investigating for me. However, it will take them a few weeks, at best, to conclude their investigations. No…" Albus raised his hand to forestall Harry's interruption. "I am not asking you to put off the duel that you are having with Lockhart. In fact, I look forwards to seeing how much you have learned under the eye of our resident Dueling Champion. However, your actions have brought about a problem… and oddly enough, an opportunity. For once, I may actually have a replacement for him lined up, assuming that I have interpreted her hints correctly, as well as an announcement about Potions that I will be making on Sunday evening. Why, Severus almost cracked a smile when I told him about it and he actually awarded a Gryffindor some points!"

Flitwick's jaw dropped.

.

"I need something to help me win! I need something to help me win!" Lockhart mumbled to himself as he strode aimlessly through Hogwarts. "I need something to help me… win?"

A door rippled into existence just next to him and Gilderoy slowly pushed it open. On the other side was a room piled high with various bits, pieces and other oddments.

"Oh. My." Gilderoy half-whispered to himself as he stepped into the room, then he chuckled. "Well, I think I'll find _something_ useful in this… and maybe something profitable too… Now, let's see, I'll need something to put everything in... _Accio Trunks_!"

Only his surprisingly well-developed dodging skills allowed him to escape the horizontal wooden avalanche with little more than bumps and bruises.


	11. Ancient Magic

" _Welcome back, sir."_ Jor-El said as Harry stepped into the Floo room from the cupboard connected to his school trunk. _"I have taken the liberty of bringing the Krypton Mage Archive online. Would you care to learn the ways of the Kryptonian Mages?"_

Harry blinked. "Jor-El… you know that the duel takes place on Sunday… I have maybe a day and a half before then. How much could I learn in that time?"

" _I have completed the construction of the_ Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm _, therefore you will be able to master the basics, sir."_

"The Row-zing-kip-whatsit?" Harry asked.

" _The_ Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm _, sir. The best translation would be_ Computer That Provides Experience _. It is the end-product of centuries of techno-magical research seeking ways of shortening the time required for formal education without sacrificing quality. The basic course on Kryptonian Mage Combat Techniques would require only twenty-seven hours real-world time for an apparent elapsed time of five Earth months. However, the cumulative mental strain caused by repeated use means that it can be employed only once per Kryptonian year… approximately five hundred and seven Earth days or one point three nine Earth years."_

"Sounds promising." Harry mused. "Alright, set it up and let's do it."

" _Very good, sir. The Induction Matrix is located in the Fortress, I have opened the entrance."_

Harry walked into the central hall of The Pottery, pausing when he saw the hole in the floor.

"A bit obvious, isn't it?"

" _Including the Quidditch Pitch, there are nine access points to the Fortress, sir."_ Jor-El returned. _"This one was the most convenient at this time. Please step into the hole and I shall use the gravetic systems to carry you to where you need to be."_

Harry paused, looking down through the hole. The basement was visible on the floor below, then the hole resumed as a semi-crystalline shaft vanishing downwards.

"Oh, what the hell." He muttered to himself, then he jumped. The hold gravity had on him vanished and he drifted downwards. Looking up, he saw the hole above him ripple closed.

"Cool." He grinned, then re-oriented himself to look down as he sped up. Less than a minute later, he came to a stop by an opening in the side of the shaft, then drifted sideways until his feet touched the ground.

" _Third door on the left, sir."_

Following Jor-El's prompting, Harry entered the chamber in question. The walls were metal with bas-relief symbols on them and in the middle was something that looked like a crystal bed mounted at sixty degrees, an open helmet suspended from the top by a translucent cable.

"What are these symbols?" Harry asked, looking round.

" _The symbols are part of the education, sir."_ Jor-El replied. _"However, they also represent the Twenty Three Great Clans of Krypton."_

Harry nodded and made his way to the angled platform.

"So, I just lie back on this thing and don the helmet?"

" _Indeed, sir."_

Harry lay down on the angled platform which seemed to ripple as it molded itself against him, holding him steady, then the helmet descended, closing around his head.

"So, what happe…"

The universe seemed to fragment around him, flashes of light and odd square-shapes floating like clouds, then everything reformed and he found himself in standing in a pillar of light with a robed man waiting calmly in front of him.

"What the heck…?"

"Welcome to the virtual world, sir." the man said and Harry stared at him.

"Jor-El?"

"Indeed, sir. The teaching hall is this way. If you will follow me?"

Harry looked around curiously, his eyes taking in the dark walls with neon edging and the dim lines along which sparks of light occasionally raced as he followed Jor-El. "What is this place?"

"The Virtual World, sir. To avoid confusing it with the Real World, I borrowed the design from an Earth film called _Tron_."

"Huh." Harry managed.

"Currently, the planetary datanet is minimal, sir. With your permission, may I begin interacting with the local developers to bring it up to standard?"

"What _sort_ of standard?" Harry asked cautiously.

"As the current technological level does not support Quantum Node Computing, Optical Fibre transmission and binary-encoding would be the recommended route at this time. If I can contact the correct people, this world could have high-definition video-coms within two years."

"I'm not sure…" Harry frowned. "What if they insist on meeting you?"

"In the few messages I have sent so far, I have implied that I am an agoraphobic recluse with mild autism and some paranoid tendencies." Jor-El replied. "There is a 99.999956% chance that this cover will prove sufficient and the careful incorporation of Kryptonian-derived technology will provide a strong financial revenue in the non-magical world."

"…okay." Harry sighed. "But take it slow and _be careful_."

"Yes, sir. Here we are. I have activated a Tuition-Program for you, one based on your grandmother's tutor. Enjoy."

"Thanks." Harry grinned and Jor-El seemed to blink out of existence. Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed open the door and entered.

.

"Combat Mage Manifestation and Implementation level one." The dark-haired man standing in front of Harry stated. "In this place, you will learn how to manifest, deploy, arrange, energize, synergize and empower the Runes that are the focus for [Kryptonian Battle Magic](https://www.deviantart.com/honorablebaldy/art/Worldbuilding-Kryptonian-Magic-681127769). A few other races also use magic and while they may seem to be capable of greater feats than we are, their reliance on external foci leaves them vulnerable. Snap their staff, break their circle, take their jewel and they are incapable of more than basic telekinesis, color changing or other minor acts.  
"By using ourselves as the primary foci for our skills and the runes to control the effects, we can match them in combat without the weakness that an external foci brings. Our abilities are the result of thousands of years of experimentation, refinement and analysis.  
"Our power is primarily expressed through the symbols of the Twenty-three. Each symbol represents different aspects of existence and each House has their own specific augmentation effect. You are primarily of the House of **El** with a secondary affinity for the House of **Van** , meaning that you have access to both Augments. For your edification, Augments are geneti-magical capabilities that were imbued into specific families centuries ago.  
"The symbols and meanings in Earth Alphabetical are…

 **Ak** : Art, inspiration and beauty.  
 **Am** : Change, cycles of history and destiny.  
 **An** : Law, justice and integrity.  
 **Da** : Harmony, synergy and music.  
 **Dar** : Trees, origins and ancestors.  
 **Do** : Strength, skies and battle.  
 **El** : Hope, Contemplation and serenity.  
 **Em** : Endings, resolutions and conclusions.  
 **Kann** : Concepts, thoughts and communications.  
 **Ko** : Peace, reflection and calmness.  
 **Lor** : Travel, evolution and rhythm.  
 **Mer** : Nature, animals and environment.  
 **Nu** : Renewal, consistence and stability.  
 **Ran** : Influence, relationships and persuasion.  
 **Re** : Ethics, morality and honesty.  
 **Tor** : Secrets, myths and ambiguity.  
 **Ul** : Command, control and order.  
 **Ur** : Attack, crisis and chaos.  
 **Van** : Family, home and hearth.  
 **Veks** : Beginnings, questions and birth.  
 **Zar** : Abundance, wealth and success.  
 **Zor** : Exploration, borders and discovery.  
 **Zu** : Sacrifice, acceptance and ritual."

As the tutor listed each House, the symbol appeared beside him.

"The Augment for the House of **El** is Mind-power, a natural ability to learn and remember. On Earth, it is known as an Eidetic Memory and resists external manipulation. For the House of **Van** , it is the ability to bring others into the family, including those not of the same race. The Kryptonian race has incorporated several genetic advantages from other species as a result of this Augment."

"…wow." Harry breathed. "So, I can eventually be a dad?"

The man froze for a moment, then replied. "QNA analysis indicates that any offspring with the local sentients will be half-Kryptonian and capable of reproduction with full Kryptonians or the local sentients. Returning to topic. To access the Kryptonian Mage Path, you must first be able to fully visualise all twenty-three Symbols, sequentially and simultaneously. Begin."

Harry closed his eyes for an instant, then pulled up the symbol of **Ak**.

.

"When the symbols are deployed, they act as protective shields against enemy magic as well as absorbing low levels of ambient magic to maintain themselves for as long as they remain visualized." The tutor explained as Harry grimaced with the effort of keeping all the diamond-shaped symbols from dissipating. "Mage Apprentices generally deploy the Symbols in two interlocking rings around themselves, thus creating a cylindrical shield in the process, while Mage Journeymen utilize a less structured arrangement for more flexibility, often discarding several of the lesser-used Symbols unless required.  
"Mage Adepts conserve power for longer battles by manifesting only their five or six most-used Symbols for general spell-casting, choosing them for maximum flexibility. Any other Symbols are manifested at need and dissipated as soon as the required spell has been cast. It is worth noting that as the number of Symbols decreases, their manifested size can be increased, although above a certain size, their shielding capabilities degrade noticeably. To trigger a Symbol, touch it and _push_ your power into it.  
"More subtle spells and those of greater flexibility are attainable through the manifestation of Kryptonian runes in specific positions relative to the Symbols, but to attain such knowledge requires multiple Sessions while the activation period of said spells renders them generally impractical for combat use.  
"Only the **Ur** symbol can be used by itself, all the others can only be used as part of a combination.  
"Please deploy and use the **Ur** Sigil."

Harry let the Symbol of **Ur** move into position, then he reached out. As his hand made contact, the symbol seemed to solidify, then a blast of magical energy slammed into the wall, leaving a diamond-shaped scorch mark.

"To adjust the effect, you must align the relevant Symbols." The tutor added. "Using **Ur** as the prime Symbol for its Attack, modify it to a wind attack by placing the **Do** Symbol beyond it."

Harry followed the instruction and the magical blast slammed out from the **Ur** symbol, only to be absorbed into the **Do** , which in turn issued a massive blast of wind.

"The innermost Symbol initiates with the first meaning. The second Symbol changes it in conjunction with the second meaning while the third modifies it further in conjunction with the last meaning. Using four or more Symbols will cause the spell to abort. Example, using **Ur** and **Kann** will launch an attack that will create temporary disorientation in whoever is in the area affected. Adding the Symbol **Tor** will leave the target unable to make any decisions until the effect wears off whereas adding **Ran** will make them highly suggestable to spoken commands. Here is a table of the cumulative effects."

Harry looked at the three-dimensional grid forming in front of him.

"There are eleven thousand, one hundred and thirty-three usable combinations." The tutor added and Harry slumped.

"Even with Eidetic memory, that's _ridiculous_." He complained.

"Be aware that seventeen of the aforementioned combinations are highly dis-recommended to the point of being highly hazardous to the caster with a non-zero chance of fatality. The combinations in question are highlighted."

Harry stared at the embedded holographic cubes glowing a sickly red.

"Do I even want to know what they would do?"

"The only non-fatal dis-recommended combination is **Zu Da Ur** which causes all Mage-energy within range to de-cohere, rendering all external use of Mage-energy impossible until the natural order reasserts itself. Depending on the area affected, this may take several planetary revolutions."

"Okay." Harry whispered to himself. "That would be a definite _do not use_."

* * *

.

" _Welcome back, sir."_ Jor-El said as the helmet lifted from Harry's head. " _The time is eleven PM on Saturday. How do you feel?"_

"Oddly tired." Harry admitted, rubbing at his head. "It's odd, I had plenty of time to absorb that knowledge, but my head's feeling rather… stuffed."

" _That would be a common side-effect of the_ Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm _, sir."_ Jor-El confirmed. _"Should I use the gravetics to carry you to your bedroom?"_

"Let me try something…" Harry mused, concentrating and a pair of Symbols appeared before him. For an instant, the seemed to waver, then the firmed up and sharpened, revealing themselves to be the **Lor** and **Ul** runes. Harry reached out, touching the **Lor** and a beam of magic connected it to the **Ul** , then continued to hit the wall, where it opened up a portal through which Harry's bedroom could be seen.

" _Analyzing energy patterns for future duplication."_ Jor-El stated and Harry paused, looking up at the embedded lighting strip that also served as the presence indicator of the AI.

"You mean you didn't have access to this knowledge before?"

" _No, sir."_ Jor-El replied. _"Prior to the completion of the_ Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm _, I had no viable method to access the files."_

"Huh. Well, I guess this means you'll be able to use this to make Portals now." Harry smiled as he stepped into his bedroom.

" _The range is limited, sir. To reach Gringotts using this technique would require no less than five Portals and should two Portals be activated near each other, they tend to destabilize. In addition, they cannot be used to traverse high-level Wards such as those around The Pottery and Gringotts."_

"Damn." Harry groaned as he let the Portal dissipate behind him. "So much for that idea. I guess we're stuck with the Switching Rooms."


	12. Dueling At Hogwarts

The sunlight shone brightly onto the dueling stage set up in front of Hogwarts, a lightness somehow enhanced by the cool, gentle breeze that played over the Great Lake, the surface of which was occasionally breached by a curious merman. At intervals around the roped-off area surrounding the dueling stage stood armed and armored Centaurs, most of whom scowled at having to participate in a human event, although a couple of them looked round with interest.

"Well, this should be interesting." Lucius commented as he took his place on the stand beside Minister Fudge. "My son has told me that young Lord Potter has been training quite a bit under the gaze of Professor Flitwick and that no-one has seen him between last Friday and breakfast this morning. He has obviously been training."

"But he's going up against _Gilderoy Lockhart_!" Fudge countered, only to pause as Lucius laughed cynically. "Lucius… why are you laughing?"

"Lockhart's already lost." Lucius smirked. "It doesn't matter if he wins _or_ loses, his career is over."

Fudge frowned in incomprehension and Lucius bit down a sigh, but before he could explain, another voice did.

"Should Lockhart win, his victory will be tainted since Lord Potter is only twelve." Severus Snape supplied from just behind them. "Conversely, in the far more likely event that Potter will defeat that idiotic poser, Lockhart's reputation will be shattered and he will be exposed as a fraud. After all, how could he have done all that he claimed if a mere child could defeat him? It is, despite the Gryffindor-ish appearance, a very _Slytherin_ move."

"You think Potter can defeat an adult wizard?" Lucius asked curiously and Severus gave a wry smile.

"He has read his parents journal and studied hard over the summer. And I have suspicions that it was him who…"

Severus trailed off and Lucius looked at him, his desire for more information warring with the need to appear fully-informed while in public. From how Snape's lips twitched in what may have been a smirk, he knew the quandary Lucius was in.

Damn the man.

"There he is!" Fudge hissed and Lucius raised an eyebrow in appreciative astonishment as Lockhart almost flounced out through the main doors and down the stairs. His progress clashed oddly with the clothing he was wearing. Rather than the normal intricately-worked outfits he favored, Lockhart wore Dueling Robes of dragonhide and an over-mantle of the same but with protective runes embossed into it in silver and inbuilt pauldrons which protected his shoulders. The robes were sleeveless, a style which helped duelists avoid becoming entangled in their outfits should they try certain spell-combinations, but Lockhart wore elbow-length finger-less gauntlets of leather and silver. His boots were also dragonhide with silver fastenings and he wore a leather helmet which covered most of his face, but left his hair free to flutter in the breeze.

"I may have been mistaken about his dueling skills." Severus admitted almost unwillingly. "That outfit is one introduced several decades ago by professional duelists and which proved far superior to the previous heavy hooded robes."

"The robes, mantle and boots are all from different dragons." Lucius noted as the sunlight briefly rippled off the scales. "He did not buy that as a full set."

Looking far more capable than he had before, Lockhart made his way to the Dueling Stage, then turned round as a sudden commotion announced his opponent's emergence.

Harry stepped into the light and paused as everyone stared at him. On his feet were red boots into which blue trousers were tucked. A yellow belt held it in place and he wore a blue top underneath an open sleeveless red coat that was cut close to his body down to the waist where it flared out like a cape.

"Interesting style choice." Severus murmured.

"Looks _muggle_ to me." Fudge sneered as Harry made his way towards the other end of the stage from where Lockhart was posing for his fans.

.

Dumbledore watched as Hogwart's most notable student made his way to the stage. Hiding a sigh, he moved to the front of the Dias in order to perform his role as Master of Ceremony. Casting a _Sonorus_ on himself, he started speaking, causing the watching crowd to go silent.

"We are here today to witness the resolution of the disagreement between Professor Gilderoy Joseph Lockhart and Lord Harry James Potter by means of a Duel. As the challenged party, Professor Lockhart has selected the Croyne Protocol, meaning that magic-enhanced clothing is allowed, but offensively, the only item allowed is a single wand which must be holstered until the duel begins. Victory is achieved by forcing the opponent off the stage, rendering the opponent unable to fight or by verbal acknowledgement. Professor Lockhart, do you accept these conditions."

"I do." Lockhart nodded, waving a ringed hand at the cheering crowd.

"Lord Potter, do you accept these conditions."

"I do." Harry said with a nod that verged on being a formal bow.

"Then take your positions."

Lockhart strode up the stairs and took a classic quick-draw pose, his hand hovering over the belt-holster holding his wand. Harry stood at the other end, then pushed one foot forwards, extending one hand forwards and extending the other back and up.

.

"What the heck is he doing?" Hermione worried. "This is a Magical Duel, not a Karate fight!"

.

Dumbledore looked between the two Duelists, then raised his hand, holding a small square of fabric between his thumb and forefinger.

"You may begin when this handkerchief touches the ground." He stated, then he released the square of material in question. The handkerchief fluttered down and the instant it hit the ground, Lockhart moved, his wand almost leaping into his hand as he fired a silent stunner at Harry. The spell flashed across the gap between them and dissipated against a glowing symbol that he'd never seen before.

.

"What the heck is _that_?" Fudge gasped and beside him, Malfoy tried to retain his composure as Lord Potter casually broke the laws of Magic by creating a shield without resorting to a wand.

.

' _He can't do_ that _!'_ Lockhart thought indignantly. _'He's not even using a wand! '_

.

"What the…?" Flitwick gasped as almost two-dozen magical symbols manifested around Harry, then two of them moved to place themselves in front of him. Harry leaned forwards slightly to touch the innermost one and a massive gust of wind blasted Lockhart almost off the stage.

.

Gilderoy's arms windmilled briefly as he regained his balance, then he growled.

' _Time to use my favorite spell… with as much power as I can! Let's see him fight when he forgets he's even a person!'_

"Obliviate!"

.

"Interesting tactic." Filius mused.

.

Harry saw the Symbol he was using as a shield glow as it absorbed the attack, then he caused a different Symbol combination to form up and reached out to trigger it. The flow of magic forced him to squint slightly, but he aimed carefully so that the attack impacted at Lockhart's feet..

.

"Impossible!" Gilderoy gasped as his best-practiced spell had no effect. An instant later, the floor vanished beneath him and he fell into a cold body of water. Forcing himself to his feet, Lockhart found himself standing waist-deep in the Great Lake as the crowd watching the duel turned to stare at him.

Horrified realization dawned and he raised his wand for a moment before forcing himself to return it to his holster as he tried to put a gracious smile on his face.

"Winner, Lord Potter!" Dumbledore's announcement echoed across Hogwarts grounds and Lockhart gritted his teeth in rage at the confirmation that his comfortable career as a teacher was over almost as soon as it had begun, meaning that he would have to leave Hogwarts and figure out a way to regain the popularity that he had lost.

At least he had all those forgotten items to sort and sell to ensure his life of luxury could continue.

And someday, he would find a way to get revenge on the so-called _Boy-Who-Lived_.

May he be forever damned!

.

"How did he _do_ that?" Fudge gasped as the portal through which Lockhart had fallen (and which had dumped him into the lake behind them) dissipated, as did the odd symbols that had surrounded Harry.

"I don't know." Lucius admitted slowly. "It's certainly no type of magic that I've ever seen before… If I had to face him, I'm not sure how I'd counter it."

"Dark magic?" Fudge gasped and Lucius was about to encourage him when Severus spoke out from behind them.

"Dark Magic? From _The-Boy-Who-Lived_? Please."

" _Lord Potter, what was that magic you used?"_ Dumbledore asked and Harry turned to face him, finally pulling out his wand and using it to apply a _Sonorus_ of his own.

" _It is Family Magic. My mother had magical ancestors who developed it to counter the weaknesses of relying on external foci such as staffs or wands."_

"His mother _wasn't_ a Muggleborn?" Fudge queried and Dumbledore was obviously having similar thoughts.

" _Lord Potter, forgive me for asking, but I was under the impression that your mother was a Muggleborn?"_

Harry snorted. _"Hah! Most magical families expel their Squibs into the Muggle world and have done for generations. What do you think happens to them? They marry and have children, kids with the_ potential _for magic."_

"That… that can't be!" Fudge protested, but Harry was still speaking.

" _I'd recommend that all the Muggleborns go to Gringotts and take Bloodline Tests to see if they are in line to claim any of the Inactive Vaults left from Pureblood Families who have died out. It would be amusing for a Pureblood Family to be resurrected via a Muggleborn, wouldn't it?"_

Lucius blanched at the prospect. If something like that happened, it wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility that a Mudblood could demand (and be granted) a place on the Wizengamot and if that happened, his battle to ensure rightful Pureblood superiority would go from difficult to almost impossible!

He had to try something, but if he went against the rules that Harry had just referred to, he would be closing the doors on his allies planned ascensions to the Wizengamot.

Damn the boy!

.

Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully as he remembered the prophecy he had heard over a decade prior.

' _Is the magic that he used_ The Power He Knows Not _?'_

* * *

.

_**Boy-Who-Lived Is Boy-Who-Won!** _

_By Rita Skeeter._

_Yesterday, the first Duel to be fought at Hogwarts in over a decade occurred  
_ _between Lord Harry James Potter and the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher,  
_ _Bestselling Author and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. The Duel took place in front  
_ _of Hogwarts with virtually the entire student body, all the teachers and as many  
_ _adults as could get there in time in attendance._

_Professor Lockhart was clad in stylish traditional Dragonhide Dueling Robes while  
_ _Lord Potter chose to wear non-traditional clothing for the Duel. With Headmaster  
_ _Albus Dumbledore in the role of Master of Ceremonies, the two faced off against  
_ _each other under the Croyne Protocol._

_When the Duel began, Professor Gilderoy commenced with a silent stunner, thus  
_ _demonstrating his ability to perform wordless magic. Lord Potter, however, went  
_ _further by using_ Wandless _magic to counter Lockhart's spells and deliver several  
_ _highly powerful attacks which concluded with a previously unknown variant of  
_ _Apparition which removed Lockhart from the stage and dumped him in the lake,  
_ _thus granting the_ Boy-who-lived _victory and removing Gilderoy from his position  
_ _as a teacher at Hogwarts._

 _After the Duel, Lord Potter explained that he had utilized Family Magic, but not  
_ Potter _Family Magic. Instead, he had used a skill which had been passed down  
_ _through his mother's side of the family and which dated back to an ancestor who  
_ _was actually a Witch or Wizard. This raises considerable doubt about the status  
_ _of Muggleborn Witches and Wizards, if one traces their family back far enough,  
_ _could they have magical ancestry too?_

_By the evening, Professor Lockhart had vacated his quarters, taking with him  
_ _several trunks of his clothes and other stuff. Replacing him as Defense Against  
_ _The Dark Arts Teacher is Narcissa Malfoy (nee Black) whose sister Andromeda  
_ _Tonks (nee Black) is due to take the position of Assistant Potions Instructor next  
_ _month._

_We at the Prophet wish to congratulate Mrs Malfoy for the sacrifice of her time  
_ _and effort in ensuring that our children are capable of protecting themselves  
_ _against those beings that may wish to harm them…_


	13. A New Teacher

"Good morning, everyone." Andromeda Tonks smiled at the class. "I am Assistant Professor Andromeda Tonks and I have been asked to cover the first four years of Potions, thus freeing Professor Snape to oversee extra-credit potions projects by his NEWT students, as well as brew more medical potions for Madam Pomphrey and St. Mungo's with their help."

Andromeda smiled as the students exchanged shocked looks.

"You hadn't known that every time you had to go to St Mungo's that almost a quarter of the more complicated potions were brewed by Professor Snape, did you?" She chuckled to a round of astonished head-shaking. "Well, quite a bit of the money Hogwarts needs in order to function comes from sources like that and from donations, although at the moment, Professor Snape is the largest revenue source for the school."

The looks of astonishment deepened and Andromeda smirked at them.

"You thought that he was just here to torture you, didn't you?" She half-joked and several students started to nod before they could stop themselves. "Well, Professor Snape is one of the five top Potions Masters in the whole of Britain, although he has admitted that without the aid of Lily Evans when he was younger, he would not have been anywhere near as good as he is now… yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"Professor, if this Lily Evans is so good, why wasn't _she_ teaching us instead of Snape?"

"May I answer that?" Harry asked and Professor Tonks nodded, waving for him to continue. "Lily Evans was my mother and when she was young, she and Professor Snape were friends. In fact, it was Professor Snape who informed her about magic and they were year-mates. They remained friends until the actions of those loyal to Voldemort caused them to part ways… so in a real sense, the so-called Dark Lord is why we had Professor Snape as a teacher."

"That bastard!" Ron gasped. "We could have had someone who actually _explained_ things to us, but noooo!"

"Well, you have one now." Professor Tonks laughed as she picked up a pile of small booklets. "Now, these are reaction tables as used in many potions labs. If you haven't already sought one out for yourself, come up front and collect one."

"I didn't even know that they existed." Hermione half-protested, the idea of a new book causing her eyes to shine.

"Check the school library. By Mrs Pince's desk is a display with lists of recommended books for each subject." Andromeda supplied. "Haven't your Prefects told you this?"

"Ours got replaced last year." Neville supplied.

"They may have said something, but I wasn't really listening. My older brother Percy is one and he's just so _boring_." Ron admitted.

"While there are a couple of copies of each book in the library, using the Owl-Ordering method means that you don't have to wait for them to become free." Professor Tonks continued, then she gave Hermione a semi-stern look. "So that means you can check out the list _after_ this lesson."

Hermione shrank slightly in her seat while several of the other students muffled their chuckles.

"Now, since this is not only a single session but also the first lesson I have led with you, I believe that we should have a quick test to see how much you've picked up so far… and don't worry, I don't expect you to know what my favorite color is."

This time, the laughter caused by Andromeda's dig at the departed DADA teacher was unrestrained.

* * *

.

"Well, that was quite an enjoyable lesson." Hermione noted as they exited the classroom and headed towards the Great Hall for lunch. "If only we'd had her last year, we would have learned loads more."

"It's that book list I'm interested in." Padma said as she drew level with them briefly. "I wonder if we can get some sort of self-updating list put up in our common room? I mean, Madam Pince _hates_ it when people congregate around her desk, which is why we all try to keep clear."

"I have an idea." Harry said slowly. "Someone find out what the books are and I'll ask Grace to carry an order form for all of us. We can always settle up later since a large order could net a discount."

"Trying to get into the _Prophet_ again, Harry? What is it with you and fame?" Neville teased and Harry gave him a mild glare, causing the Pureblood to start laughing.

"Shut it, you." Harry snorted. "Hermione?"

"I'll get it sorted tonight and you can ask Grace to carry the order tomorrow morning." Hermione agreed. "Can I borrow her after, though? I had an idea about how to use what Nick gave me and I need to write to him to find out if it's possible."

"You can always check out my library if you need to." Harry pointed out and Hermione smiled.

"Thanks, Harry."

.

"Transfiguration was _awesome_!" Ginny gushed as Harry, Neville and Hermione sat down opposite her and Luna. "Why didn't you tell me she was an Animagus! I want to learn to be one too!"

Harry tilted his head slightly. "You know that the official European method includes keeping a leaf from a Mandrake plant in your mouth for an entire month? If it leaves your mouth even for a second, you need to start again. Then you need to use a special potion and if it's made even _slightly_ wrong, you'll get trapped in a half-animal form for the rest of your life."

Ginny deflated. "A _month_? Half-animal?"

Harry nodded. "That's why there aren't all that many registered Animagi in Europe. However, part of the graduation requirements for the Uagadou school in Africa is mastery of the Animagi process, usually by the age of fifteen. Their method uses a different potion and a special ritual… although they usually separate the genders since the ritual has to be performed in the nude."

Ginny promptly blushed at the thought while Luna tilted her head slightly. "Really?"

"Really." Harry confirmed. "Plus, it needs an Animagi to participate as well, also nude. So, unless you think you can persuade the Deputy Headmistress to participate…"

Ginny's blush vanished at a speed that Harry hadn't believed was possible, replaced by a face so white that her freckles almost seemed to hover above her skin while beside him, Hermione snorted into her pumpkin juice, splashing herself.

"Towel?" Harry offered innocently and Hermione almost snatched it from him, using it to mop herself dry before glaring at him.

"You timed that." She growled.

"Would _I_ do that?" Harry protested, spreading his arms to show innocence.

"Yes! Yes, you would!"

"I think you mean _Yes, he did_." Luna supplied.

"You realize that I won't be able to concentrate next lesson with _that_ image in my head." Hermione groused as she finished wiping off her face, then she turned thoughtful. "Although perhaps we could hire an Animagus or two to help out. I've been saving up, so I could contribute and I can do some research, find out who the registered animagi are…"

"Has possibilities." Harry agreed. "Of course, we'll either have to keep it amongst ourselves or get anyone who wants to be an Animagi to pay towards it…"

"I think keeping it quiet for now would be best." Neville pointed out. "If word gets out, everyone'll want to learn and some of the Slytherins are children of Death Eaters. If _they_ learn, they'll be able to help their parents become Animagi and an Animagi Death Eater…"

Neville broke off with a shudder and the other four nodded.

"Of course, once we've done it, we can choose who else to offer the ability to." Ginny commented, then she glanced at Harry and blushed again.

* * *

.

"So, how did it go with those dunderheads?" Snape asked as Andromeda Tonks stepped into the Potions Lab, already rolling up her sleeves in preparation for helping with the brewing of the latest batch of potions.

"They're not that bad, Severus." She replied, earning a quiet snort. "Really, just because they aren't as… _focused_ as you and Lily were, that doesn't mean that they don't have potential."

Severus gave an unwilling nod as he conceded her point.

"Although, did you know that most of them didn't know about the recommended books?" Andromeda continued.

"What?" Severus paused for a moment, then resumed stirring. "How can that be? There's a list in the library and all my Prefects _know_ to tell the first-years about… are you saying that it doesn't happen in the other Houses?"

"Exactly." Andromeda agreed. "Gryffindors don't listen, Hufflepuff are generally too scared of you to ask and the Ravenclaw Prefects… well, you probably know better than I about how they were neglecting their duties until recently. As for the list in the library, Madam Pince dislikes having students around her desk, so…"

"I had wondered why so few non-Slytherins took NEWT-level potions." Severus admitted. "Hmmm… ask Potter and his friends for a solution. It was they who triggered the whole Quidditch Table thing."

"I'll talk to them on Wednesday." Andromeda said as she examined one of the potions off to the side. "I think this one is almost ready for the Ashwinder eggs."

Severus glanced over and nodded. "You have a good eye for these things."

"I'm hoping to take my Mastery in a year or so." Andromeda replied, earning another look from Severus.

"I see… you may wish to speak to Potter, he has several modified potions books which his mother worked on. There is much you could learn from them… as I have."

Andromeda paused, then half-turned to stare at the dour Potions Master. "Wha… but… you _hated_ James Potter and his friends. Harry is his son, so…"

"I have learned to look beyond that." Snape said, turning back to his potion and crumbling a herb above it, stirring slowly in alternating directions. "I have much to thank Lord Potter for… holding on to a feud with one who is dead is a waste of time and effort."

"That… is not what I expected of you, given your reputation." Andromeda admitted and Severus snorted with harsh laughter.

"No, I dare say it is not. But do not tell anyone, I still have a reputation to live down to."

Andromeda stared at him in near-shock. "When did _you_ get a sense of humor?"

* * *

.

"I need to wash my hands before I head off to the library." Hermione sighed as they left the greenhouse. "If Madam Pince sees me around her books with less-than-clean hands…"

Hermione broke off with a shudder and Harry half-turned to see Sue Li and Padma giggling.

"Padma, can you ask your sister to pass this note to Professor Vector?"

Padma accepted the proffered piece of paper and opened it, reading it quickly. Re-folding it, she nodded, then seemed to vanish.

"What was that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Padma's original idea of a self-updating list and a few ideas on how to do it." Harry explained. "If the main list is in the library, all we really need is the ability to _see_ the list, so some kind of remote-viewing array that lets us see that announcement board would probably be the best idea. I suggested that some variant of magic mirror would probably be easiest…"

"That would be good." Neville agreed. "You know, you keep coming up with these great ideas."

"That reminds me." Harry said slowly. "Jor-El told me this morning that he's finished a project for me, so I'll need your help to move a small table to Flitwick's office. I'll also need help moving another six tables to the common room ready for them to be moved to certain other offices as well."

"Count me interested." Neville said slowly. "What is it?"

"It's… a map of Hogwarts." Harry said slowly. "A three-dimensional image like a hologram, updated live."

"Cool!" Hermione gushed. "We'll be able to plan our routes around Hogwarts!"

"It'll be... you know Hogwarts exists in more than three dimensions?" Harry countered. "According to what Jor-El could find out, Hogwarts exists in an additional two localized dimensions."

Hermione froze, then rubbed her forehead. "I… I'm not sure how that could work…"

"Magic?" Neville laughed, ducking Hermione's irritated dope-slap.


	14. Oversight

Albus stared as Filius directed Hagrid into placing a rather plain slate-topped side-table beside his desk. After a moment, Filius gave his approval and Albus put down his quill.

"Filius," He began, "Not that I mind gaining more space to put my things, but I don't recall asking for a new table."

"Oh, it's more than a table." Filius grinned as Hagrid stepped back to watch. "Hagrid's got one in his hut, but his is set for the grounds _outside_ Hogwarts."

"Verra useful already." Hagrid rumbled happily. "Caught the Weasley Twins tryin' ta sneak inta the forest."

Albus gave the table a curious, albeit bemused look and Flitwick produced his wand.

"Let me activate it." He said and tapped his wand against the middle of the small table. An instant later, the table began to glow, then from it, a mostly-transparent image of Hogwarts rose, small points of light in different colours moving around or congregated in various rooms.

"Filius?" Albus queried and the Charms Teacher chuckled.

"It's a full map of Hogwarts, Albus. As Headmaster, you get to see where all the students are, except when they're in their common rooms or the bathrooms. Just there, see?"

Albus watched a blue spark enter one of the bathrooms and vanish, the bathroom gaining a hovering number 1. A second blue spark entered soon after and vanished while the number changed to 2.

"The common rooms have a similar aspect to them." Flitwick continued as Albus rose from behind his desk and moved round for a closer look. "However, each Head of House can see the positions of the students in their own common room, it is the bedrooms and bathrooms that are number-only. If you want to zoom in, use a low-powered _lumos_ to zoom in and tap the table to zoom back out again. Blue are Ravenlaws, red for Gryffindors, brown are Hufflepuffs and green are Slytherins. The teachers and staff are gold while any visitors are silver and if you tap any dot with the wand, their name will appear around them, like this."

Flitwick's wand poked one of the three dots in the representation of Albus' office and a golden ring formed around it with the name _Filius Flitwick_ easily readable as it rotated for a moment, then faded.

"Fascinating." Albus mused. "Why, this could revolutionise discipline in the school."

"Yes and no." Flitwick shrugged. "You see, only the Heads of House, the Deputy Headmistress and the Headmaster are getting map-tables that track students and mine, for instance, only shows me where my Ravens are, unless someone uses a spell against them, in which case I can see that person also."

"Mine only shows the people _outside_ Hogwarts but on the grounds." Hagrid supplied. "Still verra useful."

The map suddenly flickered out and was replaced with a two-foot tall image of Professor Snape.

"Severus?"

" _Albus._ " The image of Severus said with a nod. " _This is useful. I see you… and Filius and Hagrid. Are they in the office with you?_ "

"They are." Albus confirmed. "But… what?"

" _Potter brought this table to me and explained it doubled as a way to talk to other teachers._ " Severus shrugged. " _You hold your wand to the table and state who you wish to call, the call ends when you say the words_ End Call."

Severus' image winked out, being replaced by the map again and Hagrid laughed, his mirth echoing through the office.

" _That was annoying._ " Severus grumbled as he reappeared. " _Anyway, this means that it'll be easier for us to pass messages to each other. I have a communication stone in my potions lab and Potter is giving the other teachers communications stones for their offices. His spirit-guardian Jorel apparently created them at his request. I've given Ravenclaw ten points for mine._ "

"It will certainly speed things up." Albus agreed. "Why, we won't need to spend as long in meetings or sending students to find each other."

" _The thought had occurred to me._ " Snape agreed. " _I have a lesson about to begin. End call._ "

Snape's image was replaced once again by the three-dimensional map and Albus looked at Filius.

"Please, tell me more about this interesting invention."

"It's actually something that we're testing for the new company, Evans Enterprises." Filius started, then he caught Albus' startled look. "That's right, Albus. Harry named it after his mother. I think it's one of the reasons that Severus approves of it. Now, you'll note that the image of Hogwarts doesn't _quite_ match how it is in reality, that's because the map had to be changed a bit to make the passageways make sense. The rotating brackets show where corridors and stairs connect completely different areas of Hogwarts…"

Albus moved back to his chair as Filius explained how the newest tool to help keep track of the students of Hogwarts worked and how to use it to best effect.

At the very least, it would give them a chance of avoiding another Custard Incident…

.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. My name is Narcissa Malfoy, although you will refer to me as Professor during class, and I will be doing my best to teach you how to protect yourselves." Narcissa stated as she regally paced across the front of the classroom. "Once you leave Hogwarts, you will face many threats ranging from the annoying, such as stinging hexes, to the truly dangerous such as someone targeting you as part of a Blood Feud. Some would have you simply rely on the Aurors charging in to save you, but they need to know you're in trouble before they can do so and then they need to get there in time which they rarely do.  
"The Ministry of Magic has a special map that shows the use of magic. If you are in an already-magical place such as Diagon Alley or Stonehenge, those sensors will not pick it up. If you are in a Muggle area such as Little Whinging in Surrey, the sensors will pick up even a _Lumos_. Yes…?"

"Hermione Granger, Professor." Hermione said as she lowered her hand. "You mentioned already-magical places, would magical households count? Especially those with protective wards?"

"Very good, Miss Granger, it does indeed and two points to Ravenclaw for logical deduction." Narcissa gave her a nod of approval. "And yes, that does allow some families to bend the rules on out-of-Hogwarts magical practice somewhat. Most of those tend to cover themselves by paying for a Tuition License so that they can ensure their children are not lagging behind or teach them Family Magic. Can anyone give me an example of a family _known_ to have unique magics… yes?"

"Ron Weasley, Professor, and the Potters."

"Very good, Mr Weasley, two points to Gryffindor for a correct answer. Of course, given how dramatic Lord Potter's usage of it was, I think _everyone_ knows about that particular Family Magic. Do you wish to comment, Lord Potter?"

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said, fighting down a blush at being singled out. "I didn't know how good Lockhart was, so I went for something that I _knew_ he wouldn't have seen before and thus wouldn't know how to counter."

"An excellent tactical decision on your part, Lord Potter." Narcissa agreed. "Of course, the problem with using it as you did is that others will now be trying to duplicate it, but then again, that is true of any publicly-revealed Family Magic. Quite a few of the spells we rely on these days were once Family Spells that were duplicated."

Narcissa let everyone consider it for a long moment before continuing.

"I look at you all and I see the future. Too many have died and I wish for that to end, so I am here to teach you to survive. Now, if someone is about to attack you with a spell, what action can you take? You have an idea?"

"I do, Professor… I'm Padma Patil and negotiation is usually a good first step."

"Negotiation is indeed a good step, but only as long as the person you believe is about to attack you is willing to listen." Narcissa gently countered. "If someone is about to attack you, then they are usually beyond the point where they will pay attention to anything you say, but two points for an intelligent answer. Anyone else? You?"

"Seamus Finnigan, Professor. My father believes that a strong offense is the best defense."

"An interesting viewpoint and if you are fast enough to seize the initiative, then yes, it can be." Narcissa allowed. "Of course, if someone is attacking you, then you will probably be trying to defend yourself first, but yes. Counterattacking is one way of defending yourself. Four points. Anyone else? Yes?"

"Moira McTaggart, Professor, and retreating out of the line of fire would be my choice."

"And a very sensible one it is too." Narcissa said, her voice causing the few students sniggering to shut up. "If you are not there to be hit, the spell cannot harm you. Five points for a very sensible answer.  
"Now, since I got most of the answers I wanted, let me list them in reverse order of use. Negotiation relies on either you having an obvious advantage or the other person being sensible. If they are attacking you, then it's obvious that neither is the case. Shielding is a passive defense and there are spells that shields do not stop, so shields by themselves are useful only for the short term. Counterattacking can drive off your attacker, but it also means that you are likely to take at least some injury and, should your attacker be far stronger than you, you will lose.  
"Finally, evasion. At the very least, circling round your attacker or dodging from side to side will make it less likely that he will hit you unless he resorts to area-effect spells which take both longer to cast and use more magic. Running away is a fairly good idea, but simply turning and running is an invitation to get hexed in the back. Cover and concealment are vital if you are retreating, unless you are able to Apparate or use some of the other movement skills.  
"Now, I know you were expecting to actually learn a few spells, but that can wait until next week, or this weekend for those interested in learning how to Duel from our resident Dueling Master. For now, though, let us discuss the need to be aware of your surroundings. Can anyone list three different ways to leave this room, for instance?"

* * *

.

"So, why did you invite me to your room?" Hermione asked curiously as Neville finished putting his books back onto his bookcase.

"Because I have something for you both." Harry said, picking up a box from his bed and opening it. "Hermione, you know how most electrical devices fail around magic? Well, this is a _technomagic_ watch… with extras."

Hermione accepted the watch and carefully put it on, noting how the watch-strap automatically tightened around her wrist. Turning her hand slightly, she smiled at the sight of the digital readout.

"It's more than just a watch." Harry said as Neville put his own time-piece on and Hermione caught a glimpse of the second hand sweeping round on it. "It's got a multi-function display. Digital and analogue, just place your finger against the screen and state your preference."

"Analogue." Hermione said, then she stared at the three hands on the screen. "Digital? Wow."

"It also has a map function." Harry said, pulling his wand out and placing it against the edge of his own watch. "Map, full."

Both Hermione's and Neville's eyes widened as a two-foot-high translucent image of Hogwarts formed.

"It'll show you anyone nearby and you can use it to plot courses to where you want to go. Map, route to astronomy tower."

A line of flashing blue dots extended from the white diamond that marked Harry's location, going through several passages before ending at the top of the tallest tower.

"Analogue." Harry commanded and the map vanished, leaving Hermione staring agape at the empty space where it had been. "It also acts as a telephone or portable floo so we can talk wherever we are, although they're currently on private setting, so you won't receive any calls from people you haven't pre-approved. Hermione, I sent your parents one each too and your watch is preset with links to theirs. Oh, these are the deluxe versions, they've got the map and stuff whereas your parents only have the time and comm bits. Neville, I sent your gran a pocket-watch version… ah, it looks like she's calling."

Neville stared at his watch, which was shaking slightly on his wrist, then touched it with his other hand.

"Hello?"

" _Neville? Is that you? Can you hear me?"_

"It is, Gran, and I can." Neville said with a smile as Harry and Hermione quietly left the room to give him privacy.

"Thanks, Harry." Hermione managed and Harry grinned.

"Look, why not head off and find somewhere so that you can talk to your parents. I'm sure they'd appreciate an upd- _aaack!_ "

Hermione's hug lifted him off the ground, then he found himself staggering as she vanished down the stairs.


	15. Letters And Views

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The martial art mentioned in this chapter is DC Canon.

_Dear Mother and Father_

_The year so far has been going well. The twins are getting into far less mischief than before since our Head of House demonstrated something to them privately. Although I do not know what it was that she showed them, Fred and George have been complaining about how they can no longer hide from the teachers and do whatever they want._

_I admit to feeling slightly smug about this. Trying to rein those two in under normal circumstances is almost an exercise in futility._

_Ron is doing better than I expected, although that may be because both Oliver Wood and myself are working together to ensure that he actually does his work rather than putting it off until the last minute and doing the minimum needed (or less). The fact that Ron has joined the Quidditch Team helps in that regard, since we can hold his continued participation contingent on his grades._

_Ginevra is also now on a Quidditch team, albeit the Ravenclaw one, and seems to be enjoying it immensely. I will be making a point of attending all of her games to offer my support (except for the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw game for obvious reasons). However, as I am still the Gryffindor Seeker, I will be careful not to impinge on her training sessions._

_My duties as Prefect have cut slightly into the time I have available for studying, but I have been able to compensate more than adequately enough to maintain my grades. I am also attending the Dueling Club and have learned several new spells and techniques that I believe will stand me in good stead when I take my DADA NEWTs._

_I look forwards to returning home for Christmas and seeing you all again._

_Speaking of Christmas, Lord Potter has informed me that due to Ginevra's presence on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, our whole family is invited to the Potter Ball which is being held on Christmas Eve at The Pottery (more details to follow closer to Christmas). I have yet to raise this with Fred and George since it is dependent on your decision as to whether or not to attend, although I must point out that the last Potter Ball had_ Celestina Warbeck _providing the entertainment. While I feel it would be advantageous to attend and am already saving up for a new set of Formal Robes, I shall abide by your decision on this._

_With all of my love,_

_Your son,_

_Percival Weasley._

_Gryffindor Seeker and Prefect._

* * *

.

_Dear Mom and Dad_

_Hogwarts has become suddenly stressful as the Teachers now have ways of spying on us. Our Head of House showed us the special table she has which can show exactly where we are in Hogwarts… suddenly all our explorations of the school are much less fun. Yes, mum, this means that our grades will be going up as we now have far less to occupy ourselves with._

Ron has made it onto the Quidditch team as a Chaser. We've been helping him to study more, as has Percy. Who knew he had it in him? On the plus side, this means you probably won't have to spend next summer scolding him.

 _Ginny's also made it onto the Quidditch team. We both knew she was a good flier (yes, we occasionally helped her practise when she was younger) and she's made it onto the Ravenclaw Team. She's made us promise not to treat her differently from the other Chasers (and just_ when _did Bill teach her those hexes? She's terrifying!)_

Professors Flitwick and Tonks are running a Dueling Club which is very interesting. Apropos of nothing, why did no-one warn us how good Snape was at Duels? We almost needed to change our robes when we realized just how dangerous he is with a wand! All that time spent in his class doing things to annoy him since he's a real ass, yet all that time…

 _Anyway, you'll be glad to hear that we're now doing better in potions, although at least some of that is because Professor Tonks actually explains things. The extra classes in Potions Lab Techniques really showed us_ why _certain things have to be done and where we were going wrong. Learning how to do things_ right _and why it should be done really makes it easier…_

Ginny mentioned that we're all getting a family invite to the Potter Ball just before Christmas. Don't worry about new robes for us, we're taking small jobs from the teachers to earn extra sickles, by our calculations we'll have enough to buy our own Formal Robes when the term ends (Professor Vector's really good at directing us to things that need doing and we're both earning and learning from it).

_We're missing your cooking, although the Elves have obviously found some new recipes since the food has become quite interesting. We love the thing called Pizza, especially with anchovies (although Ron hates them. Something little Ron doesn't like eating? Unheard of!)._

Missing you both.

_Lots of love,_

_Fred_ and George

* * *

.

_Mum and dad._

_Hogwarts is going okay, although there's a_ lot _of work involved._

 _I made it onto the Quidditch Team! Professor Vector has loaned me a Comet C6 to use, apparently it's_ tradition _or something, and if I save up enough, I can buy it from her._

 _The food is good (although not as good as yours, mum) and interesting, although the stuff called_ anchovies _is just gross._

_We no longer have that greasy git teaching us! We have a new Professor who is teaching us until our OWL year! Three years without that Greasy Git! Heaven!_

_Ginny mentioned something about a Ball. You may need to talk to her about it._

_Got to go, Percy and Captain Wood are approaching with a_ Have you done your coursework _look on their faces, so I have to stop here._

_Love_

_Ron._

* * *

.

_Dear Mom and Dad_

_It's been nearly two months since I was sorted into Ravenclaw and I've enjoyed almost every minute of it. I've been sharing a room with Luna and although it's been quite hard at times, Hermione's been very happy to direct us to the books that we'd find useful should we need help (which is more often than I like to admit…) but both Luna and I are actually slightly ahead of our schoolwork as a result. Hermione's awesome, I want to be just like her._

_The Dueling Club that Professor Flitwick and our DADA teacher Narcissa Malfoy are running is incredible! Yes, mum, I know she's a Malfoy, but she's very good at Dueling and her lessons are very thought-provoking. While she is not up to the standards of Professor Flitwick or (astonishingly) Professor Snape, she is still very good._

_Our Potions Teacher is Professor Andromeda Tonks (who's Professor Malfoy's sister! Who knew?) and she's quite strict, but tolerant of honest mistakes. In her first lesson, she instructed us on safety procedures and the need to pay close attention to what we are doing, then she led us outside and demonstrated what happens if you get careless and mix up two ingredients. I've never seen a cauldron melt before!_

_One of the Chasers graduated last year, so I attended the try-outs and I've been accepted! Professor Flitwick has loaned me a broom for training and my matches, a Comet C7, on the understanding that I don't let Quidditch cause my grades to fall. Although I failed to score against Harry Potter, I did better than the other three, not that any of us expected to score against the Ravenclaw Keeper (Holyhead Harpies, here I come!) ._

_Since I've come to the subject, Harry Potter._

_While he's_ nothing _like all those books claimed, he's incredible! I watched him use his Family Magic to defeat Lockhart (and yes, mum, Lockhart_ is _a fraud. I heard he's vanished and the Aurors have a warrant out for his arrest) and afterwards, he seemed almost embarrassed about the fuss everyone was making. Dad, that day, he reminded me of you, doing what needed to be done and trying not to make a big deal of it… The fact he's so easy on the eyes just makes it better, although that famous scar of his? You have to_ know _it's there in order to spot it, now. I… I asked him and apparently he hired the services of the Gringotts Healers to deal with it before he started at Hogwarts. I mentioned that Bill works for Gringotts and he was quite interested._

 _My brothers have taken to visiting. Oh, they can't get into the Ravenclaw Common Room (or at least, I_ hope _they can't, I'd hate to think of the pranks Fred and George would pull) but Professor Flitwick's re-purposed one of the nearby classrooms into what he calls a Community Room, just next to the room that Hermione runs her Study Club in (and we have students from all four houses there). So, I get to talk to them quite a bit… the look of horror on the twin's faces when they discovered that I was going to be on the team was hilarious! I had to promise not to_ Bat-Bogey Hex _them. I don't know if he's written to tell you yet, but Ron's managed to get onto the Gryffindor Team as a Chaser too. According to Fred, that means Oliver Wood's hounding him daily to get his work done so that their Head of House won't stop him from attending practice. Since Wood's apparently almost as fanatical about Quidditch as Ron is, his grades are going up (or so Percy says)._

 _Harry has introduced quite a few of us to a martial art apparently practiced by his mother's family called_ Torquasm Rao _. It involves a lot of slow stretches, flexing and stance changes, but Professor Flitwick has declared it one of the best soft-style martial arts he's ever encountered. With our Head of House almost religiously practicing it daily, most of the rest of the Ravens have taken it up too. As Professor Flitwick says,_ A healthy mind works best with a healthy body to support it _and I've been feeling quite a bit healthier, despite all the sitting down we do in lessons._

_While I still miss home and am looking forwards to coming back for Christmas (any chance Luna can come too?) I am having an amazing time here._

_With all my love,_

_Ginny._

_PS. As I'm now on the Quidditch Team, I've received an invite to the Potter Christmas Ball at The Pottery for the whole family. The ball is to be held on Christmas Eve, so please pass it on to Bill and Charlie and see if they'd like to come. Thanks._

* * *

.

Molly Weasley put down the last letter and looked up as Arthur stepped through the Floo.

"Our children have sent us letters!" Molly smiled, wiping at her eyes and Arthur paused in the middle of hanging up his coat.

"Really? How are they doing?"

"Good." Molly replied, holding the letters up for Arthur to take and then she frowned slightly, her voice turning disapproving. "Did you know the twins had been teaching Ginny how to fly?"

"I did." Arthur shrugged, earning a surprised look. "Oh, Molly, you remember Aunt Francine? She was the Seeker for the Harpies for over a decade before she retired and became their coach. Ginny reminds me of her quite a bit, it would have been wrong to keep her grounded."

Molly tried to come up with a counter-argument, but gave up after several moments.

"Well, she's happy and that's what's most important." She finally admitted, earning a one-armed hug from Arthur who was perusing the letters, then he froze.

"Ah… Molly, we may need to go into the attic and see if our Formal Robes are still wearable." He mused. "The twins say that they'll be dealing with theirs… Bill and Charlie probably have their own, but I'll write to them about it anyway… do we have any Robes for Ron and Ginny?"

"I think I still have my father's Robe from when he was about Ron's age." Molly said thoughtfully. "If I wash it and patch up the holes, it should be fine. I may need to shorten it a bit, though…"

Arthur smiled as Molly became lost in plans for how to dress for the first Formal Ball they would be attending since their days at Hogwarts.

* * *

.

Hagrid picked up the dead rooster with a look of saddened bemusement.

"Now why would anyone do tha'?" He rumbled to himself. "an' how did they ge' past the centaurs? Mebbe I shoulda got one of 'em to watch the map fer me..."


	16. Contemplating Animals

As the door closed behind the last of the departing Study Group, Hermione and Neville looked at Harry curiously.

"So, why did you ask us to stay behind?" Hermione prompted Harry and he smiled before activating his Portable Map on the local setting so that it only showed the few rooms adjacent to their location. After a moment of careful checking, he nodded and deactivated it before sitting down at one of the corner tables, waving for the other two to join him.

"You remember last year, when Professor Snape gave me points at the Leaving Feast as he returned my mother's journal?" He asked, receiving two nods in reply. "Well, he included a piece of parchment in it which listed several books technically banned in the United Kingdom but easily available abroad. The books aren't illegal to _own_ , only to buy and sell in the UK… and they're texts used by several of the other schools for their Animagi courses."

"So _that's_ how you knew about the way that the Uagadou school teaches their students!" Hermione realized.

"That's right. And not just them." Harry replied. "I've had Jor-El analyse the differing methods and compare them to some of the other records he had available. The method used in Europe is very risky and complicated because it was designed to be so in order to keep the numbers of Animagi down. After all, if you are an Animagi, you have a form that doesn't register as human and is virtually impossible for them to track."

Hermione looked slightly puzzled while Neville nodded in understanding, then took in Hermione's expression.

"It's all about control, Hermione." Neville explained. "Animagi are far harder to keep track of, thus harder to control and counter. Most warding schema don't do anything against Animagi in their animal forms, meaning that someone who can take on the form of something like a rat, cat or squirrel could go almost anywhere that they wanted, even places that the Ministry doesn't want them to. That's one of the reasons that they have an Animagi Registry, it's so that they can adjust the Animagi Wards around the Ministry to detect that specific Animagus."

"That sounds rather… cynical." Hermione weakly protested and Harry chuckled.

"My dad and two of his close friends were Animagi and my mother was apparently learning how to be one too, judging from a few of her diary entries. Anyway, Jor-El's analysis resulted in a ritual which takes less than twenty minutes and allows anyone to gain an Animagi form. He's set up the ritual circle for me, but it takes quite a bit of magic. Normally, we'd need six adult wizards to power it, or two Animagi due to the resonance effect, but he's found a way round it by linking to a magical source under my house and I'll be gaining my animal form this weekend. Either of you interested in seeing what yours are?"

Neville nodded firmly while Hermione looked torn. "But… will you register?"

"My parents didn't." Harry stated firmly. "Hermione, you remember last year when the Ministry played along with that slander in the Prophet? If they'd had a chance, I'd probably no longer be Lord Potter and might even be in Azkaban by now! There are quite a few of Voldemort's followers still in positions of power and all of them have access to the Animagi Registry. Voldie isn't fully dead, he might return and if he does, I need _something_ that he doesn't know I can do."

Hermione sighed and gave an unwilling nod.

"I guess you're right." She sighed. "I don't like it, but you're right."

"Thanks." Harry said softly, patting her hand reassuringly. "So, Neville? You in?"

"Most certainly." Neville nodded eagerly.

"Hermione?"

Hermione sighed, then suddenly her expression brightened. "Harry, can the Ministry detect an Animagus transformation?"

"Nope. Why?"

"I'm in." Hermione smiled. "It'll be another thing to wow my parents with."

Neville blinked. "Hang on. How did Professor Snape know about those books? Is he an Animagus too?"

"I don't know and I've very carefully _not_ asked." Harry stated firmly. "And neither should you."

The others both nodded in understanding.

"Now, the underlying magic is still fairly complex, but Jor-El has a good grasp of it. The downside is that, like the Uagadou method… you have to be naked the first time."

To Harry's surprise, it was Neville who blushed furiously.

"That's why it'll be done one person at a time and the room will be locked from the inside until you have regained human form and put the robe back on." Harry added. "We can sneak out on Saturday, do it and be back before anyone notices. So, interested?"

Hermione closed her eyes and sagged. "Why do you want me to break the rules? I've never broken the rules before, Harry."

"Some rules shouldn't be followed, Hermione." Neville said softly. "During the war against the Death Eaters, one rule which briefly made it in was that it was legal to kill muggles. Would you have followed that rule? Would you have let someone else kill your parents just because it was legal?"

"Dammit." Hermione swore, then she straightened up. "Alright. I'm in. And I won't tell."

* * *

.

"I'm here." Hermione said as she stepped into Harry and Neville's room. "Where's Harry?"

"He went ahead an hour ago." Neville said, closing the book he had been reading and slotting it back onto the bookshelf. "You nervous?"

"I… yes." Hermione quietly admitted as she closed the door and Neville smiled.

"Me too. But… let's do this."

"Okay." Hermione agreed as Neville opened Harry's trunk, revealing a steep staircase leading down. The duo descended and Neville led the way into a small room, closing the door and then re-opening it to reveal the Floo Room of The Pottery, a room in which Jor-El was waiting patiently for them.

" _Heir Longbottom, Miss Granger, welcome to The Pottery._ "

"Thank you, Jorel." Hermione answered for them. "Are the preparations complete?"

" _They are, Miss Granger._ " Jor-El answered with a slight bow. " _Please follow me. Lord Potter is waiting outside the Animagi Ritual Room._ "

Following the spirit, Hermione took the opportunity to look round. "You've managed to keep this place incredibly neat. I don't see any dust at all."

" _Just doing my duty, Miss Granger. This way, please. The Ritual Room is located in the basement._ "

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a bark echoed and a moment later, a white-furred canine skittered round the corner, almost falling over, then bounded up to them, tongue hanging out as it panted happily. Sliding to a stop in front of them, it stood on its hind legs, planting its fore-paws on Hermione's shoulders and proceeded to give her a long, sloppy lick that covered almost half her face in doggy-drool.

"Eugh!" Hermione protested, fumbling in her pocket for a handkerchief as the dog dropped down and bounded over to Neville, who stepped back.

"Harry, don't you dare!"

Hermione froze mid-scrub. "Harry?"

The dog looked at her and Hermione had just enough time to see that its eyes were green before it seemed to flow upwards, turning into laughing Harry Potter (albeit a Harry clad only in a pair of shorts).

"The look on your face!" He chuckled and Hermione dope-slapped him.

"You _licked_ me!" She protested as Neville tried to muffle his laughter. " _You_ licked me!"

Harry shrugged, then ducked away as Hermione flailed at him. "Nev! Help!"

"Sorry, Harry." Neville chuckled. "My Ravenclaw intellect tells me to stay out of this one."

"Traitor!" Harry protested as Hermione cornered him. "Okay! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done it, no matter how funny it was!"

"Prat." Hermione sniffed as she finally abandoned her attempted assault on him.

"Okay." Harry grinned as he straightened up. "So, I have robes ready for you and I've done some testing. Once you've done the change, practice it for a bit. When you can do it almost by reflex, you can start wearing clothes, but you need to get used to how each item changes the feeling before you add another, so immediately getting fully dressed and _then_ trying it is a bad idea."

"Hence the shorts." Neville deduced.

"I've had some clothes put in the room for you both. Pants, shorts and a T-shirt for Neville, a one-piece swimming costume, shorts and a t-shirt for you, Hermione. I found it took about half a dozen transformations before I was comfortable enough to do it without leaving my pants behind… ripped three pairs doing that. Anyway, once you've done a couple of transformations, you may want to relocate to your suites to practice in private for a few hours so that you can do it while keeping all your clothes intact… or at least easily replaced."

As Harry spoke, he had been leading them to a blank wall at the end of the basement.

"Here's the Room and it _isn't_ concealed by magic since that would be too easy to detect. Instead, I press _here_ and _here_ …"

An irregular portion of the wall swung inwards like a door, revealing a room beyond that was well-lit and had complex designs engraved on the floor, walls and ceilings.

"So." Harry grinned. "Who wants to go first?"

Hermione and Neville looked at each other.

* * *

.

Hermione watched as Neville lazily swung through the trees, his long arms allowing him to grip the branches with ease. After several minutes, he made his way down and knuckle-walked towards them, reverting to his human form as he drew close.

"You've really got the hang of that shape, Nev." Harry said admiringly and Neville smiled.

"I used to climb trees when I was younger. This makes it easier. What am I, out of interest?"

"An Orang-utan." Hermione supplied, earning a look of thanks. "Since you like books quite a bit, it's quite appropriate."

Both Harry and Neville gave her confused looks and she giggled.

"The Librarian? Terry Pratchett? I see that I really need to introduce you both the the Discworld Books."

"Well, you've seen both of our shapes, now it's your turn." Harry prompted and Hermione took a couple of breaths to steady herself, her hands checking once again that her shorts and T-shirt were still in place.

"Here goes!"

Hermione fell forwards, but it was a large cat that hit the ground, one whose slightly-outsized paws indicated that it still had some growing left to do.

"Wow!" Harry breathed as he circled her. "A tigress! Awesome!"

Hermione nodded, then stretched, allowing her claws to show. A moment later, she was back to being human again.

"You know, only you have a good shape for hiding in public." She half-scolded. "Orang-utans and tigers aren't really found in Scotland, except in zoos."

"It's still a useful trick." Harry pointed out. "And if your cousin visits, get a tiger plushie and let her see you as a tiger. When she runs away to get an adult…"

Hermione started snickering at the thought, then she glowered at Harry.

"Stop trying to corrupt me, dammit!"

"Language, Hermione!" Harry said, putting as much offended dignity into his voice as he could, then all three started to laugh. "Hmmm, we should get back to Hogwarts soon."

"Indeed you should." A new voice said and all three of them spun round to see Filius Flitwick watching them. "On the other hand, given what I've just seen, I can understand your absence. It's a pity that my heritage prevents me from becoming an Animagi myself, it's one of the things I find myself envious Minerva about. I must ask, though, how _did_ you spoof my Map?"

"…I included an over-ride." Harry admitted. "Mainly for things like this."

Filius raised one eyebrow. "How very Slytherin of you."

"The Hat said I wouldn't do well there." Harry said with a slight shrug. "Apparently I'm too straight-forwards."

Filius turned and walked beside Harry back into the Pottery, Hermione and Neville close behind. As they entered the Floo room, Harry clicked his fingers.

"I almost forgot! Jor-El, can you order in a copy each of the books written by… by… who was it again?"

"Terry Pratchett." Hermione supplied.

"Yeah, him."

" _Of course, sir._ " Jor-El said as the quartet stepped into the room that connected to Harry's trunk.

.

"Well, that was quite unexpected." Filius stated as he clambered out of the trunk. "Next time, give me a heads-up so I can cover for you if anything happens."

"Yes, Professor." Harry sighed, then he held out his arm. "My watch doubles as a communications stone, if you need to talk to me from your office."

"And it lets you call me if you need to." Flitwick deduced. "I assume you both have the same as well?"

Hermione nodded as Neville emerged from the trunk beside her.

"Good to know. Well, no harm was done and you've all gained a skill which I have no idea about."

"Thanks, Professor." Harry grinned.

"I have no idea _what_ you are thanking me for." Flitwick smirked, then he sobered. "But seriously, give me a heads-up next time you decide to head out."

"Yes, Professor."


	17. Revealing The Truth

"That was quite an exhausting session." Hermione admitted as they made their way back to the Ravenclaw Tower. "Is it just me, or is every session when Professor Snape decides to participate more tiring than usual?"

"Having _three_ teachers means that they can pay more attentionto each student." Neville commented. "Malfoy seems to be improving a lot, I don't think I'd like to go up against him outside a practice duel."

"He _is_ getting good." Hermione admitted while Harry nodded in agreement, having been partnered against the Blond Slytherin.

_~Rend, tear, destroy!~_

Harry paused as he heard the whispering voice and Hermione gave him a curious look.

"I just remembered something." Harry said, looking round. "Pardon me."

Hermione _huff_ ed as Harry ran off, following the noise as it moved through the walls, then his eyes widened as he saw what it was.

"Bloody hell." He murmured, tapping his wrist-comm. "That's a big snake. Jor-El?"

" _How can I help you, sir?_ "

"I'm about to take out a giant snake."

" _I have it on my scanners, sir. What do you want to do with it?_ "

"Can you take it to Potter Manor and keep it secure? I think it's sentient, so killing it wouldn't be right. Perhaps we could keep it in one of the greenhouses?"

" _Of course, sir. I am moving the shuttle into position now and commencing reinforcement of Greenhouse Four._ "

Harry sprinted ahead of the snake in the wall and lined himself up with one of the windows. Skidding to a halt, he braced himself, then punched straight through the wall, his fist crashing into the side of the monstrous snake's head. Grabbing its jaws, Harry pulled the snake so that it started to slide out of the wall, then the window opened behind him.

" _I have it, sir._ "

Harry watched as the seemingly-endless snake flowed past, pulled into the shuttle's cargo bay by the gravetic tractors. As the tail finally vanished into the maw of the shuttle, Harry grinned, then turned to find Hermione staring at him in shock.

"Ah, erm, there's a good explanation for this. Honest." Harry quickly said, frantically trying to work out how to pass it off as less than it was.

"This is another Troll thing, isn't it?" Hermione demanded, then she looked out the window just in time to see the unconscious snake vanishing into an invisible container. "No… it's _more_ than that. Harry?"

Harry slumped. "I don't suppose I could just ask you to ignore what you've just seen? No? Damn."

"Harry James Potter." Hermione growled. "Don't force me to go all tigress on you!"

"It's a long story and one which needs privacy to tell." Harry finally sighed. "Lots of privacy… such as at the Pottery."

"Isn't that where you sent that… _thing_?" Hermione asked tensely and Harry gave another shrug.

"Sure, but it'll be safe. I wonder what it is?"

Hermione glared at Harry and he walked past her.

"Come on. I'll let Uncle Fil know that you and I are heading out for a bit, then when we're there, I can explain."

"You'd better." Hermione half-growled. "I could be writing another letter to Nick and Penny right now!"

"That's a thought." Harry mused. "Maybe I should send them comm-watches too? Or are they in a different time zone?"

* * *

.

"Okay, I expected to come to your house, but why are we out here?" Hermione asked as Harry led her across the lawn.

"You'll see." Harry said, his normal smile in abeyance and Hermione looked ahead of them.

"That… isn't that?"

"My parent's grave." Harry confirmed. "I had them quietly moved here from Godric's Hollow with the aid of the Goblins. It seemed… appropriate."

Hermione went silent as they came to a stop in front of the large headstone and Hermione read it.

_Here lie James Linfred Potter (Born March 27_ _th_ _1960)  
_ _and his wife Lily Joanne Potter nee Evans (Born January 30_ _th_ _1960)  
_ _Cruelly slain on Halloween (October 31_ _st_ _1981) while protecting their son.  
_ _Let them live forever more in our memories._

"The old gravestone has _The last enemy that shall be defeated is death_ inscribed on it." Harry said quietly. "No idea why. It must be a quote, but I didn't see how it related."

Hermione stood quietly for a few moments, then she spotted a smaller, unmarked stone close by.

"And what's that?"

"That is the grave of Harry James Potter."

Hermione blinked. "What? But…"

"I am not their true-born son." Harry explained quietly. "He was. However, before he was born, Lily was hit by a hex cast by a Death Eater, one that injured her and caused him to be stillborn. Lily was heartbroken, but then I showed up. Sirius found me and James realized that by using a Blood-Adoption ritual on me, I could _become_ their son."

"But… who _are_ you?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Harry.

"Legally and by blood adoption, I am Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter." Harry stated. "By birth, though, I am Kal-El, the son of Jor-El and his wife, Lara Van-El. I am the only survivor of the planet Krypton, sent to Earth to escape the destruction of that planet."

Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed. "You… you're kidding, right?"

"No, I am not." Harry said as he turned away from the graves and began walking back to the house. "It's why I am so much stronger than anyone else, why my senses are so much better. And those advantages are why I chose not to be a Chaser, Seeker or Beater but a _Keeper_. I never lose sight of the Snitch, so as a Seeker, the match would be over in minutes... if not seconds. I am incredibly tough, so as Chaser I would be tempted to simply barge people out of the way. My strength means that should I strike a Bludger, I would turn it from an obstacle into a lethal projectile. As a Keeper, I am more limited and as last year proved, I am not an instant-win card for our House."

"But… another _planet_?" Hermione shook her head. "What are the chances of it? You shouldn't look so… _human_."

"Jor-El has been researching the archives my father included in the pod that brought me to Earth." Harry said as they walked up the path to The Pottery. "Some of the records indicate that life was sparked and guided on several planets by a race whose name has been lost in the mists of time. It's not that I look human or humans look Kryptonian, it's that both of our races look like the Precursors who came before us and who guided our development before they left."

"That… makes sense." Hermione admitted as they stepped into the dining room, then she halted, staring at the thing which had replaced the table (which in turn was now against one wall). "Is that…?"

"The pod which transported me to Earth." Harry confirmed. "and which held an A.I. programmed by my father, an A.I. which uses his name and appearance."

Hermione stepped forwards, obviously not paying attention to him and stroked the symbol embossed on the nose of the pod.

"I saw you use this symbol during your duel." She whispered. "What does it mean?"

"Hope." Harry said, then he chuckled. "Well, it actually has three main meanings, Hope, Contemplation and Serenity. It's also the sigil of the House of El."

"House of El…" Hermione breathed, then she face-palmed. "Urgh, of _course_! Kal- _El_. Jor _-El_ … Your mother was from the House of Van and married into the House of El, didn't she?"

"Very good." Harry congratulated her.

"But… this means you…" Hermione struggled.

"Hermione, I'm still _me_. Still the wig-wearing boy you befriended on the train. All that this means is that I have more history than you thought, but _I_ haven't changed."

Hermione looked away. "I know that _intellectually_ , but it's still…"

"Come on." Harry said. "Have a sit-down in the library. We both know that books make you feel better."

Hermione gave him a mild glare, but allowed herself to be led into the library, where she settled on one of the seats.

"I'll leave you alone with your thoughts." Harry offered as a tray floated by loaded with a tea-set and some biscuits. "Call if you need anything. In the meantime, I believe that I have another guest coming… a scaly one."

Hermione gave an absent nod as she poured herself a cup of tea and Harry left the library, jogging through the mansion and emerging near the greenhouses, one of which had the roof open to accept the payload of the shuttle above it.

" _Sir,_ " Jor-El spoke up through his earbud, " _I have been performing scans on our new guest and there are certain energy fluctuations remarkably similar to old Kryptonian control spells. Do you wish me to break them?_ "

"Do it." Harry commanded as the roof of the Greenhouse closed over the giant snake that had been lowered into it from the shuttle. An instant later, the greenhouse seemed to flash with light of a color that Harry couldn't describe.

" _Done, sir. The Snake is starting to wake up._ "

_~What is going on? Where am I?~_

Harry stepped up to the door and tapped on it. Inside the Greenhouse, the coils of the snake shifted and slid until its head appeared, staring at him.

_~You are a Speaker!~_

"I am." Harry confirmed, his mind flashing back to the snake he had understood prior to his enrollment at Hogwarts. "How did you know?"

 _~You still live, even though I look at you.~_ The Snake said with a shrug.

" _Not entirely false, sir. The glass is absorbing a low-level emanation originating from our guest's eyes. None of it is getting through._ " Jor-El commented so that the snake couldn't hear him.

 _~I do not feel the commands that were placed upon me any more.~_ The snake continued. _~What happened?~_

"I thought you might be a threat to the other students, so I punched you out, brought you to my home and broke the spells on you." Harry supplied. "My name is Harry Potter, what should I call you?"

 _~My father, Salazar, called me_ SssSthss _.~_ The giant serpent said, looking round curiously. _~I like this place, it is nice and warm.~_

"Well, you can stay here if you want." Harry said with a wry smile. "I think Jor-El would like to have someone to talk to."

_~Is this Jor-El a speaker too?~_

"I think he can be." Harry mused, then he jolted as something floated over his shoulder. "Dammit! Don't _do_ that to me… what is it?"

~I _a_ m _c_ u _r_ i _o_ u _s_ a _s_ w _e_ l _l_.~ SssSthss said, then it flinched back as it realised that the device was turning its words into english. ~H _o_ w _?~_

"Apparently it's a basic translation device that can be programmed remotely." Harry said as he finished listening to Jor-El's explanation. "Jor-El's making one you can wear and which will also protect people from your gaze… unless you _want_ to hurt them, that is. However, I would appreciate it if you refrained from doing so unless the person in question is an actual threat."

 _~I am starting to get hungry.~_ SssSthss said. _~A tasty cow or pig would be nice.~_

"I'll see what I can get for you." Harry said as SssSthss ducked back into its coils. "Jor-El, any of the farms nearby selling their stock?"

* * *

.

"Harry, I've… why are you moving a herd of cows up the drive?" Hermione asked from the front door. "Are you opening a dairy farm?"

"Most of these are oxen, Hermione." Harry said as he watched Kelex and Kelor float out to take over the task of preventing them straying before they reached the enclosure that had been built for them. "My new guest was hungry and it turns out that she's a Basilisk."

Hermione froze. "A… _Basilisk_?" She squeaked. "But it was… it must have been fifty feet long!"

"A hair over fifty-seven feet, but good guess." Harry smiled as the cattle were driven around the corner. "Apparently SssSthss was woken up by someone who used the control spells that someone called Tom Riddle had placed on her when he woke her up fifty years ago… but who did it this time? She said that it was a different person but the magic was the same, so…"

" _I believe that I may have the answer for you._ " Jor-El answered.


	18. Confrontations And History

Luna Lovegood _eep_ 'd in shock as she stepped out of the secret passage straight into Harry Potter's arms. Behind Harry, Albus Dumbledore and Filius Flitwick stood watching, with Neville and Hermione peeping past them.

"So," Harry asked, "How did you find this passage to the Chamber of Secrets?"

Luna frowned in confusion as she clutched the diary in her hands, only for Harry to snatch it away from her.

"This thing feels quite bad, almost… _dark_." He said, looking at the cover on which the name _T. M. Riddle_ was embossed in gold and Albus nodded.

"I agree, I can sense the Dark Magic in it. Come, Miss Lovegood, let us discuss this in my office. Twenty points to Ravenclaw, Mr Potter, and yes, you can help explore. How did you know about this passage?"

"I saw her go into it." Harry shrugged. In actuality, he hadn't seen it himself, but Jor-El had picked her up on the scanners and relayed it to him, using the time that the entrance was open to sneak a couple of small probes into it to map it out.

"Excellent work, Mr Potter." Albus twinkled as he placed a guiding hand on Luna's shoulder. "Well done."

"You head back, I'll call you if we need you." Filius said with a significant glance at Harry's wrist, then he was gone as well.

"That was… anticlimactic." Neville finally admitted. "What was that book?"

"I'm not sure." Harry admitted, "But I can probably find out. Come on."

.

"Where did you get this diary from?" Albus gently asked, indicating the dark book sat in the middle of his desk.

"It was among my books when my father an I attended Lockhart's signing and dad got in a fight with Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy didn't like dad's footwear."

"I remember hearing about that." Flitwick chuckled, then he looked at the book. "So, either Malfoy used the fight to get that into your books or someone else took advantage of it. What do we do?"

"Oh, I have an idea." Albus grinned, his normal genial appearance replaced with a ferociousness very few had seen and lived to tell of. "Filius, do you know how to use _Fiendfyre_? I believe that we should gather the staff and incinerate this _thing_ in front of them."

"And see who freaks out." Filius agreed. "Gather the staff, Albus. I'll take Miss Lovegood to Poppy and then join you… main courtyard?"

"Main courtyard." Albus agreed.

.

* * *

_To my beloved husband._

_Something very odd happened today. Dumbledore summoned all the teachers to the main courtyard where he showed us an old diary with the name T. M. Riddle written on it. He then placed the diary on a metal stand and had Flitwick destroy it using_ Fiendfyre _. As it crumbled to ashes, a black cloud emerged and dissipated while screaming._

 _Please tell me that it was not what I think it was, my love. Even my unlamented aunt refused to use that particular technique and if it was indeed_ that _, then I fear for our future if_ he _ever returns._

_On Sunday, make certain that you remain at home rather than being out playing your political games. I shall be there at noon to discuss this with you._

_And if it was what I thought it was, you have a great deal of explaining to do…_

_Yours,_

_Narcissa._

* * *

Lucius put down the letter and spent five minutes swearing quietly but with great intensity. Finally calming down, he steepled his fingers in thought, only to be interrupted by the sound of his Floo alert chiming. Rising from his chair, he stalked through to the Receiving Room.

"Yes?"

"Lucius, it's me." The man in the fireplace said. "May I come through?"

Lucius nodded and a moment later, the Floo flared as the visitor stepped through.

"Severus." Lucius said with a welcoming nod. "What is the problem?"

"Today, Albus oversaw the destruction of one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes." Severus said without preamble. "It was not the one I was aware of. _That_ one was a locket once belonging to Salazar Slytherin. How many did he make?"

Lucius had paled during Severus' statement. "He made _more than one_? What was he trying to do?"

"He did tell us that he had gone further down the path of immortality than anyone else." Severus growled, pacing back and forwards as he spoke. "And near the end, his sanity was slipping. We both know how paranoid he had become, how his planning abilities had decreased… how many?"

"How do _you_ know of Horcruxes?" Lucius demanded and Severus gave him a _look_.

"I have my sources." He finally responded, an answer which Lucius knew to mean that he would not be pushed any further. "I assume your wife told you about the technique and why it was abandoned."

"Not quite." Lucius grumbled. "I managed to read part of a book in the Black Library which mentioned them and one of Slughorn's display books that I leafed through had a few other facts, such as how creating a Horcrux damaged the soul of the creator."

"That… explains more than I would like." Severus admitted. "I had wondered why he went from someone who had a plan to someone just reacting and doing so badly… Do you think he ever realized what was happening to him?"

"With _his_ ego? No." Lucius barely managed to stop himself snorting. "Any idea what happened to that locket?"

"I don't know." Severus admitted. "The Dark Lord had Regulus Black loan him the Black House Elf just before he stopped wearing that locket… perhaps Regulus found out where it had been hidden. It would explain why the Dark Lord killed him…"

"So it could be anywhere. And that's assuming that it's the last one, which it probably isn't." Lucius groaned. "Damn. How sane will he be when he returns, do you think?"

"I don't know." Severus turned away, heading for the Floo. "And I don't think I'll be sleeping well tonight."

.

"The Diary was one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes." Severus stated.

"Which means that either the Locket that you told me of is the last as it would have made three including himself, or there could be up to four more to find." Albus sighed. "I believe there are three others including the Locket."

Severus tilted his head in query and Albus sagged in his chair. "The creation of a Horcrux requires a murder. Not just any murder, but the murder of one who cannot or _will_ not fight back. To kill someone like that damages the soul and with the right ritual, a sliver of the soul can be removed and placed in an item, providing an anchor for the person in question should they be killed.  
"However, there is a price. To create a Horcrux costs the creator. Love, joy, happiness, their ability to feel those emotions is halved while anger and rage are easier to feel. Create one and you become more angry and impulsive. To create more than one… at the end, I am surprised he was still able to display any self-control. His willpower must have been incredible.  
"Let us assume he meant to create six Horcruxes. Killing young Harry would have been the perfect opportunity to create one, so he had five when he died. A part of his soul was embedded in Harry's scar, but it is gone now. According to Filius, the Goblins have experience with Soul Magic, something I was unaware of until very recently. I wish I had known, I am certain young Harry would have had an easier life had I used their skills on that day… but at least it is dealt with.  
"We need to locate the other three, work out what they are and where. The Diary is destroyed, the locket is in a place yet to be discovered… the Diary was his and the locket… he did claim to be descended from Salazar Slytherin. But what of the other three? What were they and where?"

"At least we have a solid lead." Severus offered.

"Indeed we do, my boy, and for that you have my thanks."

* * *

.

"Luna, are you alright?"

"I am…" Luna replied to Ginny's worried query as she stepped into the Common Room. "The diary didn't manage to do any lasting damage and Poppy says that I'll be fully recovered in a month or so. Until then, I have to avoid stressful situations…"

"I've had Jor-El do some research into the original owner of that diary." Harry said as he walked towards them. "It worries me and I hope he's wrong, but… Tom Marvolo Riddle. Slytherin, Prefect and Head Boy. A trophy of his is in the trophy display cabinet just off the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick let me have a look at his record and his parents were the Pureblood Merope Gaunt and the muggle squire Tom Riddle, making him a Halfblood. Oddly, if you rearrange the letters of his name, it spells out the phrase _I am Lord Voldemort_. I don't think that it's a coincidence."

"But… that means…" Ginny gasped before she caught Luna in a protective hug.

"Well done, Luna." Harry said with a wry smile. "Now you can claim to have survived an attack by Voldie as well. Welcome to the club."

"...urk…" Luna managed.

"Ginny… you know Luna will need to breathe sometime, right?" Hermione asked as she rose from her chair to join them and Ginny released Luna, blushing bright red.

"…sorry!"

* * *

.

Gilderoy Lockhart opened yet another of the dozens of trunks he had lined up against the walls of his secret hideaway.

Behind him, a similar line of trunks was open, one half-filled with Galleons, one almost full of Sickles, _three_ with Knuts, five with different sorts of clothes and beside them, piles of books ranging from old, damaged schoolbooks to tomes once held closed with straps and buckles, indicating knowledge within that the unprepared could not cope with but which he had eagerly perused, hoping to find something that would explain that damned boy's techniques.

"Hello?" Gilderoy's eyebrows shot up as the light glinted off something. Reaching in, he lifted it out, holding it up for a closer look.

"What on earth _are_ you?" He mused, turning the item of jewelry around for a better look. "I _know_ that I've seen you before… haven't I?"

Pulling out a damaged cloak, he used it to wrap the jewelry up, then rose from his knees with a slight wince. Moving to his writing desk, he pulled out one of the many folders.

"Let's see… notable magical jewelry.. female… looks rather old… Oh. My. Word!"

With a suddenly-shaky hand, Gilderoy slowly slid the reference folder back into its slot, then he moved the wrapped item to the very center of his desk. Once he had it in front of him, he unwrapped it very carefully, allowing it to once again sparkle in the light.

"Oh… Oh Merlin…" He breathed, lightly touching it as if afraid that it would simply vanish if he even looked at it too hard, then he grabbed a spare sheet of parchment and a quill. "All these centuries it was lost and _I'm_ the one who's found it… but how should I do this? How can I regain the reputation that I had before that _little bastard_ went and… Ah-hah! Of course! I came across a reference to its location in an old manuscript in Hogwarts, but I needed a reason to leave, so I laid clues that led Potter to conclude… no. To _mistakenly_ conclude I was a fraud, _which I am not_! I _let_ him beat me so that I could leave on my long quest… fighting dragons and vampires… no. _Werewolves_ and vampires, that's more believable… _damn_ the lack of wild dragons outside Asia… until I finally found her birthplace in… in… dammit, got to look up the Scottish Glens and choose one that's been abandoned for a long time… where I undid an enchantment that I found inscribed on a rock… must remember to place said rock there and put some carvings on it… which revealed… in a flash of light…"

Gilderoy dropped the quill and using his fingertips, picked up the item, his eyes moving from the way it was shaped like a bird about to take flight to the large blue sapphire that formed the center of it.

"…in a flash of light, I beheld…" He grinned, lifting the item and lowering it towards his head.

"…the perfection of _Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem_!" He exulted as the silver band came to rest on his brow and his eyes glowed with magic.


	19. Darkness Gathering

Lucius slumped almost bonelessly on the settee as his wife vanished through the Floo on her way back to Hogwarts. The previous hour he had spent explaining himself and what he had been trying to achieve had been the most stressful (and terrifying) hour of his entire life, even including the one time when he had accidentally angered the Dark Lord.

Only his magic-sworn promise that he would not try any more plans to resurrect his Master had prevented his wife from following through on her threat to divorce him on the grounds of errant stupidity.

"Can today get any worse?" He whispered to himself.

"It can, should you deny me." A voice said and Lucius found himself in a dueling stance, his wand in his hand as his cane clattered to the ground.

"Excellent reflexes, Lucius." The voice continued approvingly as Gilderoy Lockhart stepped into the room. "Now put that away. We both know you stand no chance against me."

"After Potter defeated you?" Lucius snorted. "Lockhart, you lost to a twelve-year-old boy!"

" _He_ did." Lockhart smirked and Lucius froze as a horrifying thought occurred to him.

"You… you are _not_ Lockhart…"

"Not any more." Gilderoy said, his smirk growing darker. "No, Gilderoy Lockhart is only a memory, and a fading one at this point. You see, my slippery friend, I have returned as I said I would."

Lucius heard his wand land on the floor, but it didn't register as he stared in growing horror at the one who had once been Lockhart.

Someone who had walked through his Wards as if they hadn't even existed…  
…or as if he had been _keyed_ to them…

"…My Lord…" He choked and the man who was once Lockhart nodded.

" _Very_ good." Voldemort said approvingly. "I see that your mind has not degraded during my absence."

Lucius sank to his knees, then bowed his head. "My Lord, what is your command?"

"Rise, my loyal servant." Voldemort commanded. "Let us speak of that which has transpired in the years I have been… away…"

"Yes, my Lord!"

* * *

.

 _~Open.~_ Harry hissed at the small brick with the bas-relief snake on it and the wall opened up to reveal a flight of steps spiraling down.

"I do believe that I should lead…" Albus began, only to pause in surprise as Filius nipped past him.

"My reflexes are still sharper than yours, as are my eyes." The shorter man stated, glancing over his shoulder (and the long bundle he had slung diagonally over his back) as he started down the stairs. "I'd suggest you next, then Harry and Severus can bring up the rear."

Albus sighed, palmed his wand and followed Flitwick down the secret passage.

"I wonder." Harry mused, looking at the crystals embedded near the top of the walls. _~Lights.~_

The crystals started to glow, causing a muffled oath to sound from ahead.

"Sorry!" Harry called. "I thought I'd try something and it worked!"

"Warn us, next time!" Flitwick called back and Harry heard something suspiciously like a muffled snigger behind him, but when he glanced round, it was to see Severus looking as stone-faced as usual.

"Well, Mr Potter?" He asked pointedly and Harry nodded, then followed his Head of House and Headmaster down into the depths of Hogwarts, Snape only a few steps behind. Once all of them had passed through the archway, the bricks forming it shifted back into a solid wall, but not before a score of thumbnail-sized shield-shaped objects had darted through.

As they descended, Harry looked around curiously. Each of the glowing lights was in a silver fitting shaped like a snake winding round it.

"I guess Salazar took the snake-thing to an extreme." Harry finally offered, hearing another not-snigger behind him.

"Salazar was a known Parselmouth." Severus finally stated. "It was a skill almost as rare back then as it is nowadays in Europe, although in India and Australia, Parselmouths are held in high regard. Indeed, it is said that a Parselmoth beggar who travels to India will, once they demonstrate their talent, find themselves being wooed and romanced by the Great Families there."

"Hmmm… interesting." Harry mused. "Should the Prophet try another round of _Let's get Harry locked up for something he didn't do_ , I could simply go abroad and make a career talking to snakes."

"Great Merlin!" Filius exclaimed. Harry and Severus exchanged glances, then hurried down to the foot of the stairs where Filius and Albus had stopped. Before them, on the other side of the large corridor the stairs connected to, was a large pile of shed snakeskin.

"Oh dear." Albus murmured. "It looks like we could be facing a larger threat than I thought… A snake this size…"

"Fifty seven feet and three inches." Harry supplied, causing all three adults to stare at him. "What? I measured her when I installed her as the guardian of The Pottery."

The three continued to stare at him.

"I had to break the control spells on her and buy some bullocks for her to snack on, but SssSthss is happy in her new greenhouse home." Harry shrugged.

"Is _that_ why you got my permission to leave for an hour or so?" Flitwick asked, his eyes narrowing in speculation and Harry nodded.

"That's right. I needed to get SssSthss to the Pottery and get her settled down. Since she was the only Basilisk here, we shouldn't have any real problems."

Albus and Severus exchanged unreadable glances while Filius started to chuckle.

"Just as I think you are starting to be predictable you do something like _that_." He chortled. "Alright. Let us continue exploring."

Harry and Filius moved down the corridor and behind them, Harry could hear Albus and Severus talking almost frantically.

" _He has a_ sixty-foot _Basilisk guarding his home! Albus! Why are you smiling?"_

" _I admit that I was not aware of the presence of the… oh my. This explains poor young Myrtle… I always believed that Hagrid was innocent… it must have been_ Tom _controlling the Basilisk, but if he returns, he won't know that the Basilisk is not his to control any more, at least not until he encounters it and by then, it'll be too late as he'll be within biting range. This could be the… Severus… your arm!"_

" _It… no! How could it be?"_

" _We knew of three more, my boy. If one of them worked…"_

" _He hasn't summoned me yet… why?"_

" _I do not know… but I don't think that we will enjoy finding out. For now, let us explore the Chamber and we shall continue this discussion later, in my office."_

"Harry, I believe we shall need your skills again." Filius stated and Harry looked ahead to where a pair of large doors blocked the passage, doors embossed with silver snakes.

_~Open.~_

At his command, the Snakes writhed towards the edges of the doors, which opened almost silently, revealing a huge chamber beyond, a chamber with a pool in the middle and a large statue at the far end, one that was built into the wall itself and stretching from the vaulted ceiling to the floor.

"Wow." Harry said after a long moment. "He had quite the ego, didn't he?"

"He was one of the Four Founders." Severus said from behind him. "Although, yes. Something like this is possibly a bit _too_ egocentric."

"But why's the mouth open like that?" Harry asked curiously.

"Let's find out." Flitwick said, unslinging the bundle and unrolling it to reveal four broomsticks. "I _borrowed_ these from the broomstick shed just in case we needed them. Shall we?"

Harry grinned as he held his hand over one of the broomsticks.

* * *

.

Lucius watched as Voldemort carefully transfigured the body that he had appropriated in order to resurrect himself. The curls of blond hair darkened to black, the eyes changed shade from blue to a brown so dark that his pupils almost blended with them. His nose and cheekbones shifted slightly, and then settled into their new positions and shapes as Voldemort turned away from the mirror that he had been using.

Lucius opened his mouth, then paused as the Wards alert poked at his mind.

"Something wrong, Lucius?" Voldemort asked, tucking away Gilderoy's wand, then a wicked smile stretched across his face. "Oh, _my_. I can sense my _true_ wand just outside… held by one of my loyal servants. Come, Lucius, let us welcome our long-lost ally back into the ranks of my Death Eaters!"

Lucius followed his returned Master out and down the drive to the gates, but there was no-one there.

"…Master?" Lucius asked carefully and Voldemort's smile grew even darker.

"Wormtail, come and say hello."

A rat appeared from underneath one of the ornamental bushes and Lucius' eyes widened in shock as it suddenly expanded upwards, turning into another wizard he had believed deceased.

"Pettigrew?" He gasped. "But… Black _killed_ you!"

His gaze dropped down to Peter's right hand, noting the stump that had once been his little finger.

"Of _course_!" He breathed. "They only found your finger… it was _you_ who fired the curse, not Sirius… and as a Rat Animagus, you could easily escape… But when did you choose to serve our Lord?"

"Peter came to me over a year before my… accident." Voldemort supplied as a genuflecting Pettigrew proffered a very familiar wand. "I saw instantly the potential of having a spy inside Dumbledore's Order, so he became my agent, unknown to any of my other Death Eaters, planting the occasional useful rumor when I needed it. After Severus relayed the Prophecy that Sybil Trelawny had made to that old fool Albus, it was Peter who managed to not only inform me of the locations that the Potters and the Longbottoms were hiding, but who was chosen as the Secret Keeper for the Potters."

"But… _everyone_ knows it was Sirius… Black…" Lucius trailed off as his mind started working again, assimilating the new facts and drawing conclusions from them. "No. The Potters were running a bluff. Everyone _knew_ they would select Black as their Secret Keeper since he was the closest friend of the Potters, so they chose Pettigrew, thinking people would overlook him… and even if he _was_ discovered, his animagus form would let him escape…"

" _Very_ good, Lucius." Voldemort smirked, waving his wand in the air and producing a wave of silver and green sparks. "Well done, Pettigrew. You have returned my Wand to me, my faithful servant. You will be rewarded."

"Thank you, my Lord." Pettigrew simpered.

"For now, I believe that a meal would be a good start." Voldemort decided. "Lucius, summon that elf of yours and have him start making a fine repast as we celebrate the dawn of a new age!"

"At once, my Lord." Lucius bowed. "Dobby!"

* * *

.

"It will take a while to sort through all these books." Dumbledore said, looking at the enchanted trunk on his desk that held the contents of the library that they had discovered. "Once I check them over to ensure they do not contain dark magic, I shall let Madam Pince oversee their restoration and filing. It may distract her away from glowering at the students who wish only to perform research."

Idly leafing through one of the books, he suddenly paused, his face paling.

"Albus?" Flitwick prompted. "What have you found?"

"I believe I know where Tom got the idea to make a Horcrux from…" Albus whispered, his eyes almost transfixed. "With this book… and the rituals described within… he would have found his path made a great deal easier... and _safer_ , paradoxically enough…"

"Are you _certain_ that he read that book?" Flitwick asked.

"Since he wrote several notes in it about the possibility of _multiple_ Horcruxes, I believe that he did indeed. I will need to examine this more closely…"

Carefully closing the tome, Albus put it on his desk.

"I am only grateful that Gellert never knew of this book's existence." He finally admitted. "Had he known of it and claimed it for himself, I do not believe that I would have been able to defeat him."

"What exactly _is_ it?" Flitwick queried.

"This, my friend, is the personal diary of Thascalos Slytherin, Salazar Slytherin's son."

Flitwick frowned. "I remember hearing about him… wasn't he why his father left?"

"He used his father's position as a shield to allow him to sire several bastard children on the female muggleborn pupils at the time." Albus nodded. "Salazar couldn't defend him, but as his victims were all muggleborn, he refused to condemn him either, so they simply departed and years later, word came that Salazar had died."

"And Thascalos?"

"No-one knows." Albus shrugged. "He vanished from the history books and the Headmaster's Archive makes no mention of his fate. Oddly, he was sometimes called Thascalos the Gaunt…"

Filius stared at Albus in horror as he recalled the time Albus told him of Riddle's heritage.

"You mean Riddle really _could_ be descended from Salazar Slytherin?"

"It is very probable." Albus nodded. "After all, Parseltongue is passed down through the family line…"

"Then how on earth did Harry learn it?" Flitwick asked curiously.

"I had thought it was the presence of the soul-fragment in his scar, but since he has retained the skill even after the fragment was removed… I do not know." Albus admitted ruefully. "My current guess is either he is descended from one of the children that Thascalos sired at Hogwarts… although I don't recall James being able to use Parseltongue, so it probably came from Lily's side."

"That would make sense…" Flitwick mused. "Especially if the line squibbed out and moved into the Muggle world. If they didn't have the ability to speak Parseltongue, no-one would be aware that they carried the potential to."

"My thoughts exactly." Albus leaned back and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Of course, if this is true, then it would seem your Raven is possibly descended from the first Snake… meaning that Tom's claim to be the true heir of the Slytherin line may not actually be true…"

Both wizards looked at each other and Flitwick gave a bloodthirsty grin.

"I think I'll suggest to Harry that he investigates this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thascalos Slytherin (as far as I know) does not exist in HP canon since I made him up just for that scene.  
> But since it is canon that Voldie is descended from Salazar, ol' sally must have had at least one kid, so…


	20. Games And Plots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note – As Voldie took over a living human body rather than have a body created for him to inhabit, his fragmented soul was able to use the original to "fill in the gaps", meaning he's saner than in canon.  
> Yep, this means he's more dangerous…

"My Lord…" Lucius began, then he paused as Voldemort looked up from his examination of the Quidditch Display Table.

"Ah, Lucius. I was just examining this… quite a work of art, is it not?"

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius replied, slightly bemused by the direction of the conversation. "I purchased one of the best tables with hand-crafted models, each one carved by a master woodworker from the finest materials and painted by a professional artist to be as accurate as possible."

Voldemort straightened up and walked to the racks of figures set into a glass-fronted display case.

"And you have them all here, ready to be placed on the sides of the table so that you can watch the game from the comfort of your own home, in the company of those you approve of."

"Yes, my lord." Lucius responded, still trying to work out the direction that the conversation was about to go.

"And you even have the professional teams in a separate display case from the Hogwarts teams… _and_ with little name-plaques. You certainly spared no expense."

"I… am a keen follower of Quidditch, my Lord." Lucius responded nervously, unable to decide how to interpret the Dark Lord's suddenly whimsical tone.

"So I see." Voldemort murmured as he examined the set placed on a golden stand as opposed to the worked silver of the other teams. "And pride of place goes to the Ballycastle Bats…"

"My second-cousin Finbar Quigley is a Beater for them and they were kind enough to loan me the use of their stadium when Narcissa and I got married." Lucius found himself explaining. "Narcissa supports them too, she's a close friend of one of their Chasers, Lunette Penumbra."

Voldemort made a slight sound of interest as he moved across to the Hogwarts display, then he leaned closer.

"So, Potter really _is_ in Ravenclaw. Odd, considering both his parents were in Gryffindor. And Keeper…"

"He's made quite a reputation for himself." Lucius supplied. "Last year, he blocked every single shot the other teams made _and_ took out a pair of sabotaged Bludgers. The only reason Ravenclaw didn't win was that in the final game, Gryffindor managed to catch the Snitch."

"Interesting." Voldemort mused, rubbing his chin. "Very interesting. And we'll be watching… which game is it?"

"Slytherin versus Gryffindor, my Lord." Lucius stated as he opened the cupboard and lifted out the Slytherin rack which was made of silver while the other three were wood. Voldemort watched as Lucius placed the rack in the special recess, then he placed the Gryffindor team into the second recess.

"And the models will move to show what the players are doing? How… _modern_."

Lucius winced slightly, but he had already prepared the rationalization. "It hasn't changed Quidditch itself at all, just expanded the enjoyment of it, my Lord. It's not that much different from having a permanent box at the stadium."

The Floo chimed and Voldemort smirked.

"I do believe that the first of your specially-invited guests has arrived, Lucius. Although Wormtail can't be with us due to the mission I set him, I look forwards to the reunion of all those loyal to me... except of course for those currently undertaking other vital missions."

"Like Severus Snape, my Lord?"

"Indeed. If he were not there to watch over his House, it would cause a great deal of suspicion. Do not worry, he will join us again when the time is right."

"As you say, my Lord." Lucius bowed, then he hurried out as the Floo chime sounded again.

* * *

.

Lucius carefully topped up the glass of whiskey in Voldemort's hand as the resurrected Dark Lord lounged in the throne-like chair which, under other circumstances, Lucius would have been sat in.

"Thank you, Lucius." Voldemort said magnanimously. "Please, take a seat."

Lucius handed the bottle over to Nicodemus Nott before lowering himself into the chair and checking his watch.

"My Lord, I believe that the game will be starting soon. If I may…?"

"By all means." Voldemort waved his hand expressively and Lucius fired a small spell to activate the table and its integrated radio.

"… _lcome one and all to the first Hogwarts Quidditch game of  
_ _the season. I am your announcer today, Hieronymus Sundown._

_Both teams today are fielding new chasers, both are second-year  
_ _students from notable families, Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley.  
_ _The weather today is dry but slightly overcast, meaning that the  
_ _players are unlikely to be dazzled by the sun but still have more  
_ _than enough light to keep track of what is going on. A hush has  
_ _fallen over the crowd… and here come the teams!_

_Slytherin are first out onto the field with Chaser and Captain Marcus  
_ _Flint in the lead flanked by fellow-chasers Draco Malfoy and Adrian  
_ _Pucey. Following them are Miles Bletchley, their keeper and Terence  
_ _Higgs, their Seeker while the beaters Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole  
_ _bring up the rear._

_Now it's the Gryffindors, led by their Keeper and Captain, Oliver Wood.  
_ _Following him are the three chasers Angelica Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and  
_ _Ron Weasley with their seeker Percy Weasley close behind. Bringing up  
_ _the rear are the Weasley Twins, Fred and George. Excellent Beaters but  
_ _I still have no clue which one is which._

_Referee Madam Hooch swoops onto the pitch with the box containing  
_ _the balls and both captains move down to land beside her. They shake  
_ _hands as the other players take position and Hooch opens the box!_

_There goes the Snitch, so fast it's gone almost before anyone could see  
_ _it. The Bludgers are flying into the air… and Hooch throws the Quaffle!_

_The game has started!_

_Slytherin get possesion with Malfoy intercepting the Quaffle, passing  
_ _almost at once to Pucey who fakes left and does a drop-pass to Flint.  
_ _Flint rolls high, swoops left and does a back-pass to Malfoy who was  
_ _in the_ perfect _position to catch it! Malfoy spirals through the Lion's  
_ _defence and side-passes to Pucey before peeling off. The Gryffindor  
_ _Chasers are boxing Pucey in and he does a back-pass to Flint, but Ron  
_ _intercepts with a diving grab! Lions have possession and Ron passes  
_ _to Alicia who passes to Angelina and back to Ron in a perfect triangle  
_ _pass, carrying them past the defenders. Ron rolls to avoid a bludger  
_ _and uses the opportunity to pass to Spinnet… GOAL! First goal to the  
_ _Lions! Ten-zero!"_

Lucius winced slightly.

"That was a very good technique your son used." Voldemort noted, earning a surprised look. "Shame about the interception, but one can never expect the enemy to do what you hope they will."

Lucius remained silent as he considered the subtext of the apparently-innocent comment.

" _And Slytherin now in possession, doing one of the best Serpentine  
_ _Slides I've ever seen, faking and jinking to prevent the Lions from  
_ _seeing who has the Quaffle… and Gryffindor target the wrong one!  
_ _Draco does a perfect distraction rush and opens the way for Flint  
_ _to charge past! Flint shoots… and Wood_ just _manages to deflect  
_ _it, right into Pucey's hands! Pucey scores and it's ten all! A truly  
_ _amazing recovery by Slytherin!_

_Gryffindor take possession… and Percy spins out in a Kaltor Roll!  
_ _He dives down and Higgs is in hot pursuit! Percy weaves right,  
_ _rolls left… and a Bludger fired by one of the Weasley Twins hits  
_ _Higgs in the shoulder! Higgs breaks off… as does Percy! It was  
_ _a pre-planned ploy! Higgs won't be doing any real maneuvers  
_ _while he recovers from the impact… and Percy dives again! Higgs  
_ _tries to follow, but he can't! His control is lacking and he breaks  
_ _off looking furious. Percy pulls out, looking satisfied, for now the  
_ _Slytherin Seeker is not a factor! Slytherin need to rack up a huge  
_ _score if they want to win… can they do it?"_

"Well, this seems interesting." Voldemort mused. "With the most important player effectively out, Slytherin are at a _severe_ disadvantage. Does this remind you of anything?"

Lucius and several of his brighter guests winced at the reference to how they had virtually fallen apart a decade ago without the Dark Lord to unite them.

" _Draco uses the distraction to slip past the Gryffindor team with  
_ _the Quaffle and blindsides Wood! Twenty points to ten with the  
_ _Snakes in the lead and Wood is looking furious! Gryffindor take  
_ _possession of the Quaffle. The Weasley Twins deliver synchronised  
_ _blows to the Bludges, opening the way for the Chasers. The Chasers  
_ _do a reverse triangle pass! That must have taken a_ lot _of practise but  
_ _it works, they're through and Ron takes the shot… Draco dives out of  
_ _nowhere to intercept! He loops under the Chasers and spins past the  
_ _Beaters! He fires at the hoops… and Wood manages to deflect it! Flint  
_ _grabs the Quaffle and shoots… and Wood deflects again! What a save  
_ _by the Gryffindor Captain! He passes to Angelica who takes off with  
_ _the Slytherin Chasers in hot pursuit! Ron and Alicia do a scissors behind  
_ _her… and it looks like a Ghost Pass! Alicia has the Quaffle and the Snakes  
_ _don't realize! Alicia goes low and… and it's over! Percy Weasley has the  
_ _Snitch! He grabbed it as everyone was following the Chasers and with  
_ _Higgs still recovering, Gryffindor have won! What a short game it was!"_

"Damn!" Lucius cursed before stiffening and giving Voldemort a nervous look. To his shock, the Dark Lord was actually smiling.

"Well, that was an interesting reflection of what happened a decade ago, wasn't it." He asked almost jovially. "I was taken out and without me, you could not hold out long enough to prevent the Light from claiming victory, hmmm?"

The silence that descended on the small group was both profound and filled with nervousness. Looking round at his followers, Voldemort's smile turned from amused to predatorial.

"But I have returned, as I foretold, my Death Eaters. Soon, I will lead you all into a greater world, one where you can claim all you wish and those who profane the Wizarding World by their presence and arrogant assumption that breeding means nothing will be taught their places!"

The room erupted in cheers and applause while Lucius bowed deeply in respect.

"My Lord, once more I can see victory with you to lead us."

"Indeed, my loyal servant. Of course, there is something that I need to find first. Macnair!"

"Yes, my Lord?" Walden Macnair bowed deeply as the others pulled away from him, leaving him standing alone.

"I wish to pay a quiet visit to a certain place in the Ministry. There is a Prophecy I need to hear in its entirety."

"Yes, my Lord! Erm, it may take a while to arrange, my Lord…"

"There is no real rush." Voldemort waved the concern away. "In fact, I believe that the best time would be during Lucius' Christmas Ball. Lucius, I must ask that this year, you make a point of publicly inviting Dumbledore and a few of his allies, the ones who move in your general circles but who have links to the Ministry themselves. I am aware that this will cut down a bit on your planned politicking but it will allow me full access to the Ministry, thus granting me the time I need to do my work uninterrupted. If you can, hint to Dumbledore's allies that you are training your son to take on the role of Lord Black in the near future. It will distract the old fool nicely and have him looking in the wrong places when it is our time to claim victory.

Lucius stared in near-worship as his Master displayed the ability to create new plans without any hesitation, plans which would work.

"Oh, Macnair, one other thing." Voldemort said, causing the Ministry Worker to look at him curiously. "I expect _subtlety_ on this one. I know you are capable of it when you put your mind to it, so I expect you to do just that. Understand?"

"Yes, my Lord!"

* * *

.

Lucius returned from escorting the last of his usual guests to the Floo room and seeing them off, all of them quietly rejoicing with the knowledge that their leader had returned once more to lead them to their inevitable victory. As he entered his study, he slammed to a halt as he saw the trapdoor concealed under the rug was open and Voldemort was standing beside it, his face wearing an expression so neutral that Lucius _knew_ that he was in trouble.

"Lucius…" Voldemort said in an overly-calm voice as he held up the letter that Narcissa had written. "Why was Albus able to find and destroy the book that I gave you? What were you trying to use it for?"

Lucius cringed as Voldemort almost lazily lifted his wand.

"I demand answers, Lucius." Voldemort almost purred. "And you shall give them to me."

Lucius stared in horror as Voldemort's wand pointed at him.

" _Now_ , Lucius, I do believe you owe me an explanation… and for your sake, it had better be a good one…"


	21. Christmas Gatherings

Not trying to match your summer ball?" Hermione asked as she looked at the small crowd dancing to the singing of the 8-man group that Harry had hired. "And who are the band?"

"They call themselves the _Weird Sisters_." Harry responded to the second part of her question. "I wrote to Celestina for advice and she recommended them as an _up-and-coming_ band on the verge of greatness. I think she may be related to one of them, but I didn't ask. They're quite good."

Hermione paused to listen to the song that was being sung.

" _I walk the line I walk it straight  
But the morning so many miles away"_

"They seem okay." She admitted with a slight smile, watching as a laughing Luna was swung round by a tall redhead with a single earring in the middle of the repurposed dining room. "I must admit, I'm looking forwards to tomorrow."

"The presents?" Harry asked and Hermione shook her head, blushing slightly.

"No… I brought a tiger plushie…"

Harry stared at her before breaking down into laughter and Hermione swatted him.

"It's not that funny!"

"Shame on you, Lord Potter." A voice said cheerfully and Harry straightened up, managing to bring his laughter under control as he looked quizzically at the speaker. "Hogging the beautiful young lady all to yourself? Charlie Weasley, at your service, Miss Granger. Ginny's told me all about you in her letters."

"How's Norbert?" Hermione asked and Charlie's smile broadened.

"She's doing fine. Hagrid's taking my shift so that I can be here… I'm still not sure which of us is doing the other a favor. May I have the pleasure of the next dance, Miss Granger?"

"Of course." Hermione said, putting her hand on the proffered arm, then she smiled impishly. "And maybe you could tell me a few stories about Ginny when she was younger? I made the mistake of introducing her to my parents and now she's got all the embarrassing stories about me, so…"

"What else is a big brother for but to embarrass his little sister?" Charlie replied with a matching grin as he escorted her onto the dance floor. Harry watched them go, then became aware of a presence to one side.

"For a small gathering, it seems to be going very well indeed." Augusta Longbottom remarked as she put her pizza-filled plate down on a convenient side-table. "I daresay that the Malfoy Christmas Ball will be far less enjoyable, but politics dictate that I have to be there…"

"I received an invitation as well." Harry noted. "I think that he's up to something… but I have no idea what."

Augusta nodded thoughtfully as she absently lifted a slice of pizza from her plate and bit into it. Swallowing the mouthful of food, she gave Harry a measuring glance.

"My grandson has improved greatly since he met you, Lord Potter."

"All I did was give him some support." Harry demurred. "Neville did all the improving by himself."

Augusta gave him a long, measuring look, then her gazed moved to the person walking towards them, a bowl piled high with food in his hand.

"Uncle Fil." Harry said in greeting. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Oh my, yes." Filius laughed. "And _this_ , I haven't had proper _Grachtnachthan_ in _years_! How did you get it?"

"I wrote to Axefist and asked him to send food that you'd appreciate." Harry replied as Filius used his dagger to stab another morsel of whatever it was and eat it. "From your reaction, the outlay was more than worth it."

"The Hogwarts Elves can't quite manage to get the balance of herbs right and as for letting it mature in a dark cave… I think they have a problem with letting food stay in the same place for over a month, let alone a full year." Filius agreed. "Buying straight from Gringotts… why didn't I think of that?"

"It probably costs a bit more than normal if you do that." Harry cautioned and Filius nodded.

"Undoubtedly. It would be too much for me to have it as a regular thing, but as an occasional treat… oh my, yes. Incoming!"

Harry turned back only to find himself being pulled towards the dance-floor.

"What the… Ginny?"

Ginny nodded as she towed him into the middle of the room.

"This is your party." She half-scolded. "You should be part of it."

"Hermione's really rubbed off on you, hasn't she?" Harry laughed as he began dancing and Ginny blushed almost as brightly as her hair. "By the way, I have a gift for you and Luna. Ask Hermione to take you to the room in question, it'll take less than an hour, but you'll need to practice later."

Ginny nodded, intrigued as to what her idol had in store for her.

.

"It's very rare that I get invited to these sorts of events." Filius noted and Augusta nodded, glowing with pride as she watched Neville dancing with Anna Gedes.

"You generally don't miss much." She admitted. "It's mainly posing, posturing and _I'm more pureblooded than you are_ couched in very polite terms, so polite that you barely feel them trying to stab you in the back. Why I got an invitation to the Malfoy Ball, I don't know."

"Albus has received one as well." Filius noted. "It took him by surprise… and not much does that any more."

Augusta frowned. "Normally, I'd think he was trying to pull a fast one, but the Wizengamot is closed for the week and the Ministry has drawn down for the holidays… by tradition, no business gets done for the three weeks including Christmas and New Year… so _why_ would he invite both Albus and myself?"

"I don't know." Filius admitted slowly. "I don't know…"

.

"Lord Potter." Arthur Weasley gave a nod of respect as he approached the younger Lord.

"It's just Harry, Mr Weasley." Harry replied before taking a sip from the ice-cold beverage he was holding. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, very much so." Arthur said, a hint of laughter in his reply. "I have been to the Pottery before, but you've really changed it from how it was. It's so much lighter and I heard a rumor at work that the windows can absorb spellfire."

"They can." Harry confirmed. "It helps with the defensive wards, incoming spells are absorbed and their magic used to strengthen the wards further."

"Incredible." Arthur breathed.

"Hey, dad!" Ron bustled up, holding a plate on which a large burger stood. "Have you tried these? I think mum's taking notes. Oh, hi, Harry! You heard that I'm a Chaser now? I'll do my best to give you a challenge when our teams meet."

"I look forwards to it." Harry smiled and Ron moved off, heading for Duncan Inglebee and his father, who was clad in the colors of the team he played for. Glancing across the hall, he saw Molly Weasley take a small piece of food and carefully taste it.

"I'll have the recipes copied for her tonight and Grace'll drop them off tomorrow." He laughed as Arthur followed his gaze.

"Thank you, Harry." He said, then he paused. "I heard a rumor that you have a… a pet… Basilisk?"

* * *

.

"What. A. Party." Harry sighed after the last-but-one guest had vanished through the Floo.

"I quite enjoyed it." Filius smiled as he stepped into the room, levitating a box charmed to keep its contents in stasis. "Thanks for letting me take the leftovers."

"I'm not certain how much Goblin food would agree with me," Harry shrugged, "But it seemed such a waste to simply throw it away."

Filius opened his mouth to reply, then paused as Kelor floated past him, a pile of stasis boxes in his grasp. Looking back at Harry, he closed his mouth and lifted one eyebrow in query.

"Family magical golem." Harry replied. "I have two."

" _They are unaffected by my gaze."_ An odd voice said from the main door and Filius paled as he saw SssSthss gliding into the room. _"Do not worry, the device that keeps my gaze from killing works."_

"Excellent." Harry grinned. "I assume you've tested it?"

" _Kelex brought me two cows so that I could test it. I can paralyze, petrify or kill if needed. The cows were delicious, but I need to sleep them off."_

"Harry…" Filius half-whispered, indicating SssSthss as covertly as he could. "The Chamber…?"

"That's where she slept until I got her out of Hogwarts." Harry confirmed. "Recently, I found out that she makes a great mattress."

Filius' look changed from nervous to bemused.

"I trained too hard and fell asleep while talking to her. When I woke up, I was in her coils and it was very comfy." Harry explained.

Filius shook his head. "Is there _anything_ normal about you?"

"Sorry, Uncle Fil, there isn't." Harry shrugged as SssSthss hissed with laughter. Filius shook his head and then vanished through the door leading to Harry's trunk in the Ravenclaw tower.

"Jor-El." Harry said slowly and the AI's image materialized.

" _Yes, Lord Potter?_ "

"Can you create some stealthy recon drones for long-range deployment?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

" _I can, Lord Potter._ "

"And is the relay to Hogwarts secure?"

" _It has been emplaced and concealed from view, sir._ "

"Then place another in my Diagon flat so that you can keep an eye on the alley. Also, we need to locate Malfoy Mansion and the Ministry of Magic building. I know it's close to Diagon, but I don't quite know _where_ it is. I want them all under observation before I head back to Hogwarts."

" _As you command, Lord Potter._ "

Jor-El faded away and Harry folded his arms, stroking his chin in thought.

"Just what are you planning, Malfoy. Why do you want us in your mansion? Where _don't_ you want us to be?"

* * *

.

"Look! It's a _tiger_!" Perdita half-screamed as she pointed to Hermione's bed with the hand which wasn't engaged in dragging her father into her cousin's room.

"Oh my, yes. Such a fierce one." He scoffed, causing Perdita to slowly turn to look at the bed from which a tiger had snarled at her, sending her almost flying down the stairs as she sought adult help. On the bed, looking at her with the blankness that only a stuffed toy could achieve, was a tiger plushie.

"But… but…" Perdita stuttered and from her chair in the corner of the room, Hermione spoke up.

"Perdita, have you been at the whiskey or something?"

"I've only had one glass today and besides, whiskey doesn't make you… see… things…?" Perdita trailed off, then looked guiltily up at her father who was glaring at her.

"So _you_ are the reason the bottle lasts a week instead of a fortnight." He growled and Perdita blanched. As she was dragged off by her father, Perdita heard Hermione start laughing.

.

Ginny carefully checked that her door was locked and the curtains closed, then she removed her clothes. Once they were laid out on her bed, she closed her eyes in concentration. A moment later, Ginny was gone and in her place was a half-grown bear cub, one which had a golden collar-like patch of fur on its chest. A long moment passed, then the cub flowed upwards, reforming back into a human girl.

"Yes!" Ginny exulted quietly, then once again, she transformed into her ursine form.

.

Luna leapt fearlessly off the top of the tower-like Rookery and in mid-air, her form rippled, turning into a large white bird with black wingtips. For several long moments, she glided magnificently, then she tried to land, only to misjudge and crash into the Dirigible Plum tree. Falling to the ground, she landed back in her human form and looked up at the darkening sky.

"Ow. Landing is harder than it looks…"

.

"So, are you an Animagus now like Professor McGonogall?" Joan giggled as she leaned against the side of Hermione's door. Hermione put her book down, then briefly transformed into her tiger form before reverting.

"Perdita _knows_ she should knock." Hermione explained with a grin and Joan smiled.

"Just be careful with that, dear. We don't want to have to visit a zoo just to say hello."

"Yes, mum." Hermione smiled.


	22. Infiltration

The _crack_ of Apparition was almost silent, the mark of a true expert, but it was still just loud enough for the man leaning against the wall by the phone booth to hear. Straightening up, he turned and bowed slightly.

"My Lord, all is in readiness."

"Excellent, Walden." Voldemort smirked. "Let us proceed and remember, from now until we leave, I am Mr Tom Riddle."

"Yes, My…Mr Riddle. Sorry. Mr Riddle. Mr Riddle. Got it."

"How many are inside?" Voldemort asked and Macnair scoffed.

"Skeleton crew only. Just enough to keep an eye on things and trigger a recall alert but not enough to do anything. We just need to get you past the security… but your wand… is rather recognisable…"

"Which is why I have a Gregorovich original." Voldemort lifted the silver-birch wand and waved it lazily. "Be proud, Walden. You are the first in this country to see my _second_ wand."

"Thank you… Mr Riddle." Walden replied and Voldemort nodded.

"Excellent. Shall we proceed?"

Walden nodded and motioned to the phone booth. "The number is 62442… not sure _why_ they picked that number, though."

"If you look at the letters, it spells out _magic_." Voldemort supplied and Walden stared at the phone in shock.

"Blimey! So it does! Well, how about that!"

Unnoticed by Walden, Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"Well, shall we?"

"Oh! Right… um, six, two, four, four, two… Walden Macnair… escorting Mr Riddle…"

A badge popped out of the change slot and Walden put it on, then he vanished in a flash of magic. Voldemort stepped into the box, typed the number and listened to the recorded voice.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and the purpose of your visit."

"Tom Riddle, to retrieve a lost item." Voldemort said pleasantly and a badge clattered into the coin-return tray. Picking it up, Voldemort took a moment to smirk at the embossed writing.

 _Tom Riddle  
_ _Item Retrieval_

Putting it on, Vldemort hung up the phone, then the booth seemed to spin around him, opening up to eject him into the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. The lobby was almost deserted except for a sinlge man behind a counter and Voldemort strolled over to him, flanked by Walden. The man put down his newspaper and looked at them, then he smiled in recognition.

"Walden, didn't know you were in today."

"He's helping me deal with a minor bureaucratic irritant." Voldemort answered, offering his wand and the security guard motioned for him to put it on the scales in front of him. A moment later, a piece of parchment popped out and the man looked at it.

"Silver-birch and Thestral-tail, fourteen inches?"

"Indeed." Voldemort replied and the man placed the parchment on a desk-spike.

"Okay, that's done, you can take your wand now. Good luck with the forms… paperwork's horrible."

"It is indeed." Voldemort agreed as he slipped his wand back into his belt-holster. "Walden?"

"Right this way, Mr Riddle." Walden managed as the Guard returned to his paper. Voldemort followed Walden to the lift, where he carefully closed the gates before pressing one of the buttons.

"So far, so…" He began, only for Voldemort to clasp a hand across his mouth.

"Don't." Voldemort hissed. "Do _not_ tempt fate. The last time _I_ did, it cost me a _decade_ of formless existence!"

"…sorry…" Walden mumbled and Voldemort released his follower, turning to face the lift door again.

"Just keep your mind on our mission, Walden." He almost purred as the lift juddered to a halt. "Now, which way is it?"

"Erm… this way."

.

"Regent Longbottom, so kind of you to arrive!" Lucius declaimed as the elderly witch stepped out of the Floo. "Albus is already in the main hall."

Augusta looked round, then took another look. "It is an honor to be here, Lord Malfoy." She said stiffly, then she let her puzzlement show. "I heard that your mansion was decorated with intricate carvings and paintings in every inch, but…"

Lucius nodded. "My wife made some suggestions and I agreed. By only having the carvings and ornamentation as highlights, it makes them more noticable and doesn't overpower the senses nearly as much."

"Your wife has exquisite taste." Augusta admitted as Neville arrived through the Floo.

"Heir Longbottom." Lucius said in greeting. "You may be interested to learn that I have followed in the tradition that Lord Potter started. I have hired several members of the Ballycastle Bats to oversee my private Quidditch pitch which I have recently had lowered to make it easier to conceal from the Muggles."

.

"The Hall of Prophecies." Walden stated as they stepped through the doorway into a huge room filled with shelving, each shelf holding a line of fist-sized crystal spheres.

"How exactly does the security system work here?" Voldemort asked and Walden coughed to buy a few second to organise his thoughts.

"Well, there's a low-level repulsion spell on each sphere so that only those the prophecy inside refers to or those with special medallions can touch them. If anyone tries to force their way through the protective spell, touching the sphere triggers a second spell that scrambles the mind. It can take months to recover from that."

"Seems almost like overkill." Voldemort mused. "Then again, knowing the future can help you to shape it. So… the prophecy we want… how do we find it?"

"The Book." Walden pointed at the huge tome on a pedestal in a small alcove. "Let's see… Prophecy about the Dark Lord and Harry Potter."

The book glowed before slamming open, its pages blurring until they stopped. Walden peered at the open pages before nodding.

"Ah, here we are! Row ninety-seven, shelf four, space five."

Voldemort looked round, spotting instantly the small wooden numbers affixed to each set of shelves.

"Very good, Walden. Let us proceed."

.

"Lord Potter." Cornelius said warily.

"Minister." Harry replied courteously.

"How are you coping with your Lordship?" Cornelius asked and Harry hid a smirk at the opening offered.

"Quite well. My Gringotts Account Manager has done a splendid job of managing my interests while my home has been fully rebuilt. Oddly, though, I've been looking through the asset list and I seem to be missing two House-elves."

Cornelius blanched slightly and opened his mouth, but Harry continued.

"I'm fully aware that by being absent, not by choice, I hasten to add, for a decade would have meant that they would have passed away due to the lack of a Bond, so I'm quite grateful that someone did take them in. However, as Lord Potter, I am quite concerned about their continued well-being since they are, legally speaking, still my property since I haven't received any payment for them. If whoever's taken them in has treated them well, then I'll happily reward them with enough money to buy _three_ House-elves, but if they've been mistreated… well. We saw what happened to that fraud Lockhart."

Cornelius somehow managed to relax and tense up at the same time, then he coughed.

"I do believe that my predecessor took your elves for herself just before she retired. I'll be happy to put you in contact with her, if you wish."

"That's very kind of you, Minister."

Neither of them noticed the small figure watching them with a despondent expression, although Harry caught the slight _pop_ of it vanishing. Looking round curiously, he finally shrugged and turned back to his conversation with the Minister, pulling something out of his pocket.

"By the way, I was wondering, what happened here?" He asked and Cornelius turned bone-white, staring at the picture that Harry was holding.

"Well… erm… that is…"

Harry put away the picture of Cornelius and the curse-breakers that Jor-El had supplied.

"It was only a bit of idle curiosity." He stated, knowing that Cornelius would understand the message. "Probably a training drill or something. Nothing to make a fuss about, right?"

"Oh, yes!" Cornelius agreed, still pale. "Nothing at all to be worried about! Not at all!"

.

"Here it is!" Walden called and Voldemort quickly moved to his side, eyes going to the label attached to the silver three-dragon stand that the sphere was resting on.

 _**S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.  
** _ _**Dark Lord  
** _ _**And  
** _ _**(?)  
** _ _Harry Potter_

"Well, well, well." Voldemort mused, reaching out cautiously. His questing hand was unimpeded and his smile grew predatorial as he touched the sphere. "It would seem that it _is_ about me. S.P.T… Sybil Trelawny. So _that's_ why the old fool has her teaching in Hogwarts. How does one play a Prophecy Sphere?"

"You… simply tap it with your wand, sir." Walden replied. "Anyone can play a Prophecy, but only those that the Prophecy are about can remove it. It does cause an alarm when a Sphere is taken, though."

Voldemort looked round, then cast a couple of spells to prevent anyone else from hearing.

"Well then, let us see what it says and once it is written down, we shall leave."

Walden watched as Voldemort pulled out his wand and tapped it against the Sphere. The ball glowed, then a translucent figure rose from it and began speaking.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…"_

* * *

.

Lucius sagged as the Floo died down, leaving only his family with him.

"That was certainly… interesting." He finally admitted and Narcissa gave him a long look.

"My love, why _did_ you invite all of those from the Light faction? It doesn't seem to be in keeping with your normal ways of doing things?"

Lucius felt a stab of irritated gratitude to Lord Voldemort for, just before his departure, running through the possible (but untrue) reasons he should give if pressed.

"My beloved, young Lord Potter is going to become a strong political force even before he leaves Hogwarts. It is quite important that he _not_ see us as an enemy. A rival, maybe. Possibly an opponent, since that would keep any conflict between us civilized enough that we would not do worse than jockeying for position. Should I let him see me as an _enemy_ , though, such as he saw Lockhart…"

Lucius trailed off and Narcissa pulled his head down to give him a deep, passionate kiss. When she finally released him, he simply stared blankly at her.

"You are finally learning how to take the long view." Narcissa murmured into his ear. "I am so proud of you, my beloved."

.

Voldemort sat in the comfortable chair in the Malfoy Guest Lodge and re-read the piece of Parchment before him. After playing the Prophecy Sphere twice (and using a _Dicta-quill_ for the second playthrough), he had departed from the Ministry without a single problem and sent Macnair on his way then detouring to pick up a specific item from Borgin and Burkes before returning to his new (albeit temporary) home.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..._ " He recited once more.  
" _Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...  
_ " _And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...  
_ " _And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...  
_ " _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._ "

He leaned back in his chair, one hand moving almost unbidden to pick up the glass of Firewhiskey that was on the table. "Interesting. Had I but known of this… but it is too late for that. I have indeed marked young Potter and he is a Lord, thus my equal. I have the memories from the one I supplanted showing me the power that he used… yet that worries me. Wandless magic… _Family_ magic… and yet neither James Potter nor Lily Potter chose to use it when I came upon them all those years ago… why would that be?"

Voldemort took a sip of the Firewhiskey. Once the resulting flames had dissipated, he re-read the parchment.

" _Either must die at the hand of the other_ … so for me to live, Potter must die. Well, I had been planning to kill him anyway, so I do not see how _that_ affects my plans in any real way…"

Voldemort looked out the window at the starry night.

" _He will have power the Dark Lord knows not_ …" He repeated to himself. " _Why_ did neither of the Potters _use_ that against me? Was I simply too fast for them to react to, does it need time to activate or is it something else…?"

The night offered no answer to his introspection.

"And what do those symbols _mean_?" Voldemort muttered to himself.

.

Cornelius Fudge took another swig of Firewhiskey, ignoring the worried look that his wife gave him before she left the room. Putting the glass down, he buried his head in his hands.

"He _knows_!" He groaned. "If I do _anything_ against him… My career will be _over_!"


	23. Confrontation

The house was, at first glance, just a normal house in a mainly-muggle neighborhood, but to the expert eye, signs of magic were easily visible.

The most obvious sign was the lack of a telephone cable leading to the house while the chimney was unadorned by an aerial. The garage doors were spotless, but closer inspection revealed that the edges had been fused with the walls, meaning that it was unable to be opened. Not that most people would bother to examine it since the house was under several wards, the net effect of which was to remove the house and its occupants from the perceptions of anyone without magic.

"Jor-El… start recording." Harry commanded quietly and the stealthed spy-probe which had deployed form the now-completed passenger shuttle drifted down to just behind him, holographically disguised so that it was effectively invisible. Striding up the perfectly-maintained path, Harry felt the low-powered anti-Muggle wards admit him, then he reached out and touched the doorbell. Even as the chimes sounded, the door was opened by a short non-human figure.

"Can Gilligan be helpi…" The House-Elf began, then his eyes widened. "Master Potter? Is it really you?"

"It is." Harry confirmed and then he almost fell over as the House-elf latched onto his leg, crying with joy.

"Gilligan is being a Potter Elf again? Gilligan be returning to The Pottery?"

"Gilligan!"A harsh voice grated and the House-elf cringed. "Where's my tea?"

Harry set his face into a stern expression and strode into the house, Gilligan following him nervously. Entering the living room, he found himself facing an irate witch who stared at him in shock.

"…James…?" She whispered.

"My name is Harry. Harry Potter."

The witch stared at him, then she growled. "What do you want?"

"Something has come to my attention and I came here to speak with you about it." Harry stated, suppressing his rising anger and ex-Minister Millicent Bagnold sneered.

"You mean Black being thrown into Azkaban? He betrayed your parents, boy! He _deserved_ it! I'd have had him _Kissed_ if I could, but if I'd given him a trial, he would haveescaped like the others!"

Harry frowned, thrown by the unexpected direction of the conversation. "What are you talking about?"

It was Bagnold's turn to look blank. "You're _not_ here about that Merlin-damned bastard? Then what the hell are you doing in my house?!"

"Collecting what is rightfully mine." Harry stated, patting Gilligan on his head and Millicent pulled out her wand.

"Oh no, you bloody well don't! Those house-elves are _mine_! Do you hear me? Mine! I deserve them, I'm the one who led the war against the Dark Lord and they're mine! Now get out before I hex you!"

Harry bared his teeth in what could technically be called a smile as he manifested the twenty-three Symbols around him, then moved them to form a wall between him and the shocked witch.

"I think you may wish to rethink your position, Madam Bagnold." he stated coldly as he carefully lined up three symbols and reached out to touch the innermost one. "That is, unless you can _prove_ that you purchased them from the Potter estate and since Account Manager Axefist hasn't been able to _find_ any evidence that you paid even a single knut for them…"

* * *

.

"Welcome home, Gilligan, Herriet." Harry smiled as he escorted the two House-elves into the main house after the shuttle had dropped them off outside at his instruction. The two elves looked round at the rebuilt mansion with expressions of amazement.

"So big…" Herriet whispered as she looked down, then she frowned. "Herriet not understand all the things down there."

"You can _see_ the hidden levels?" Harry asked in shock and Herriet shook her head.

"No, but Herriet can _feel_ them, they are part of The Pottery. Herriet can feel the magic as well, lots of magic, _new_ magic. And the not-person who is part of it."

"That would be Jor-El." Harry said. "He's the one who protects this place and who's been keeping it clean and tidy… well, him and a pair of… golems called Kelex and Kelor. Jor-El?"

The AI's avatar materialised. " _Welcome back, Lord Potter, and welcome home, Gilligan and Herriet. I have already informed SssSthss of our returned staff members._ "

The two elves looked at the holographic representation of the AI curiously and Harry dropped to one knee to speak to them. "You can trust Jor-El. He's… um, I have to ask… when I was born…"

"Herriet and Gilligan were there when Master Harry was adopted by Master James after little Master Harry was born dead." Gilligan stated. "Mistress Lily never knew her Master Harry was not _her_ Master Harry and we did not tell her as it would have hurt Mistress Lily."

Harry nodded. "Thank you. Anyway, Jor-El is kind of a guardian spirit that my other-father sent with me, but he was asleep in the pod which brought me here until only a couple of years ago when I returned and found him. He's totally loyal to me and I trust him completely."

" _Thank you, sir._ "

"We understand." Herriet nodded, her ears flapping slightly. "Jor-El knows all complicated things below including magic maker thing."

"I read that House-elves need magic to live." Harry noted and both elves nodded in agreement. "As such, however much magic you think you need from the thaumic reactor, it's yours. And I'm sorry I didn't come for you earlier. I… I didn't know until recently."

"Master Harry came and rescued us from false-mistress." Gilligan stated. "That is all that matters."

Harry got back up to his feet. "Jor-El, please show Gilligan and Herriet around, full access. I need to head to the Ministry of Magic and speak to someone about a certain lack of a trial. Oh, and put some parchment and an envelope on the shuttle while I call Grace. I just _know_ that Bagnold'll try something when she finally wakes up and I'll need to set up some insurance."

" _Very good, sir. the shuttle is waiting._ "

"Good." Harry said, turning to the door. "Be ready to catch me, I'll probably Floo back."

" _Of course, sir_."

The two House-elves watched their master leave, then Gilligan looked up at the hovering figure.

"What did Master mean, be ready to catch him?"

In answer, a screen blinked into life and both Elves quickly started laughing.

* * *

.

"Wotcha, Harry!"

"Tonks!" Harry waved at the pink-haired Auror, then nodded to the scarred-and-grizzled wizard watching him with a narrowed eye. "And Senior Auror Moody, I presume?"

A curt nod was his answer and Harry turned back to Tonks. "Tonks, I could use your help. I assume you've heard of Sirius Black?"

"I heard he betrayed your parents." Moody interrupted. "Was never sure about that, he didn't seem the type, but he was found guilty."

"Actually, he wasn't." Harry stated. "I… erm… _talked_ to Millicent Bagnold and it would seem that Black never actually got a trial."

"…and I want him _arrested_!" Bagnold's voice echoed as a door at the far end of the office area opened. "He broke into my house and _stole_ my House-elves!"

"They were _my_ House-elves!" Harry shouted across the crowded room, causing everyone to pause in their work and stare. "You abused your position to steal them and you didn't recompense me with even a single knut! I was perfectly within my legal rights to reclaim them!"

Bagnold paused in the doorway, a stern-looking monocle-wearing woman behind her and Harry continued.

"Plus, you locked Sirius Black into Azkaban without a trial and kept him there illegally! On his behalf, I am invoking the Liberty Protection Act of Eighteen-fourteen. You have had over a decade to put together a case against him and failed. Since it has taken more than four weeks to do so, that means that Black is either to be granted a trial within twenty-four hours or he is to be freed and compensated for his time in Azkaban, at the rate of fifty Galleons per week beyond the original month, payable by the one who signed the order imprisoning him!"

Bagnold went white. "No! That's… that's…"

"Over twenty-five thousand Galleons." Harry stated coldly. "Of course, this will be halved if you give him a trial… a _public_ trial, but for each additional day you wait now that I've invoked the act, the amount you owe will double. So this time tomorrow, it'll be over fifty thousand you owe him. The day after, a hundred. Then two hundred. I would advise moving quickly, especially since I've already sent an Owl to the Daily Prophet about this."

Bagnold managed to turn even whiter (something that Harry would not have believed possible) and the woman behind Bagnold stepped past the stuttering witch.

"Moody, Shacklebolt, go to Azkaban and retrieve Black on my authority. Take him direct to the Wizengamot. Tonks, go with them. Yaxley, get the Investigation Department to check their records, I want _everything_ we have on Black. See if he _did_ have a trial and if he didn't, send out an emergency Wizengamot alert before bringing the files to me. Move!"

Harry stepped aside as the named Aurors burst into motion and the woman glowered at him.

"I was hoping to go home early, Lord Potter. I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth about the lack of a trial, or I'll have you charged with wasting Auror's time."

"Look at Bagnold." Harry suggested. "She's still trying to find a reason why she refused to give my Godfather a trial."

The monacled woman tilted her head slightly. "Really? Regular or Magical?"

"I… don't actually know. What's the difference?" Harry asked in confusion.

* * *

.

Harry sipped the mug of tea that had been handed to him while he watched Amelia Bones page through the remarkably slim folder that Yaxley had handed to her before he had bustled off. After several moments, she sighed and leaned back in her seat.

"It looks like you were right, Lord Potter. Black never received a trial and the evidence itself is little more than a couple of brief statements by the arresting Aurors… one of whom is our current Minister. He's going to make quite a fuss over this."

"No, he isn't." Harry shook his head. "If Black's guilty, then he returns to Azkaban and all that happens is that Bagnold's reputation takes a big hit. After all, if he deserves to be there, then he wasn't innocent and isn't owed any money. On the other hand, if he _is_ innocent, Bagnold's going to be extremely out-of-pocket _and_ her reputation will be shattered. Either way, though, I win. All Fudge has to do is declare that he had assumed that Bagnold had followed the law and now that he knows that she hadn't, he'll order a review into the other prisoners to check for any others who didn't have a trial."

"If he _is_ innocent, then who betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord?" Amelia enquired and Harry shrugged.

"It had to be either Pettigrew or Lupin, my father's other best friends. One of them would have been the Secret Keeper."

Amelia picked up the phone on her desk and almost barked into it. "Get me everything on Lupin, he was a friend of James Potter. Now!"

"Not Pettigrew?" Harry asked and Amelia shook her head.

"Pettigrew was killed by Black. They only found a single finger after the explosion."

Harry frowned. "I didn't think explosions worked like that. If a finger was the biggest bit that remained, wouldn't everyone have been covered in him?"

" _Thank you_ for that delightful image." Amelia snarked, then she picked up the phone again. "Get me the records on Pettigrew's death! And don't forget the witness statements!"

Putting the phone down, she leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the desk as she steepled her fingers.

"You really have a way of creating unusual situations, don't you?" She finally asked. "My source in the Unspeakables tells me that they're trying to duplicate whatever you did against Lockhart… who seems to have vanished off the face of the planet, by the way…"

"I had nothing to do with that!" Harry protested, but before he could continue, someone knocked on the door and then stepped through.

"The Pettigrew file, Ma'am."

Bones took the file, placing it on her desk and leafed through it. After several minutes, she sighed.

"Dammit. If I'd been in charge, this would have been investigated. There's no way an explosion that killed twelve muggles, leaving their bodies fairly intact, would have vaporised Pettigrew."

"Could he still be alive?" Harry asked and Amelia sighed again.

"Merlin, I hope not. If he is… it would call a great deal of our assumptions into question."

"Ma'am, message from Moody. They've collected Black and should be back within the next hour."

Amelia rose from her chair, motioning for Harry to join her. "Come on. I can't think of anyone with more interest in the case than you, so you may as well be part of it. Let's go."


	24. Trial

The Courtroom was almost bowl-shaped with the presiding judge sat at a raised desk so that the defendant would have to look up from the floor. The assembled members of the Wizengamot (those who had actually answered the summons) sat behind desks arranged in rising ranks around the Courtroom, once again positioned to look down on the person on trial.

"Ladies and Gentlewizards," Amelia Bones stated, "We are here today to fulfill the requirements placed upon us by the Liberty Protection Act of Eighteen-fourteen. It has been revealed that Sirius Black, who was jailed for betraying the Potter family, was never given a trial. In the interests of justice, one shall be granted to him."

"Why?" One of the figures said. "We all know he's guilty."

"And that's why I'll be leaving the Wizarding World after my OWLs." Harry stated, earning a chorus of protests and shocked gasps. "If I cannot rely on the rule of law instead of the rule of _rumor_ , then I will have nothing to do with the Wizarding World."

"He has a point." Another voice stated, this one that of an elderly male. "We are the leaders of the Wizarding World, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Let Black have his trial and his guilt will be proven."

"As the one most affected, I ask that I be allowed to interrogate him." Harry said and the Judge shifted.

"While not usual, it is not unprecedented. Very well, you may ask the questions of him, although he might choose not to answer."

"And may I ask that he be offered the use of _Veritaserum_." Harry pressed, causing a shocked susurration to echo around the chamber.

"…while not usual, it is not unprecedented." The judge finally admitted. "Very well. Bring a vial of _Veritaserum_."

One of the Auror guards seemed to vanish and Harry hid a smirk.

One way or another, he was going to find out what had happened _that_ night.

.

The man that Shacklebolt and Moody escorted into the Courtroom was obviously malnourished, pale-skinned, grimy and dressed in what had at one time been a knee-length prison smock, but was now only a couple of snapped threads away from being a reason to be arrested for indecent exposure. As he staggered forwards, Shacklebolt used his greater size and strength to direct him to the Defendant's Chair, a wooden chair festooned with chains. As Black slumped into the chair, the chains sprang into life and wrapped around his limbs, holding him immobile.

"Hear ye, hear ye." The Judge intoned. "Let the trial of Sirius Black proceed. Sirius Black, you are here before the Wizengamot on the charge of betraying the Potters to He Who Must Not Be Named. How do you plead."

Black coughed a couple of times before answering. "…not… guilty…"

"The prisoner has entered a plea of not guilty. Prosecutor, you may begin."

Harry stepped forwards, holding out one hand and the Auror who had gone to collect the _veritaserum_ placed it on his palm. Black looked up as Harry approached and his eyes widened.

"…James? No… no… Harry? How long has it been?"

Harry held out the vial and Sirius' gaze fastened on it, a grin forming on his face.

"Mr. Black…

"Yes! Yes, give me _Veritaserum_!" Black almost shouted and Harry could almost feel the shock that filled the coutroom. Black tilted his head up and opened his mouth.

"Three drops, Lord Potter." The Judge prompted and Harry carefully tilted the vial, letting three drops fall into Black's mouth.

"Can I have a glass of water?" Harry asked and a moment later, he was given one. Carefully placing it to Black's lips, he tilted it slightly and Black relaxed as he swallowed the cool liquid.

"How long before the Veritaserum takes effect?" Harry asked, but it was Black who replied, his voice almost a lazy monotone.

"It already has…"

The Judge nodded and Harry handed the glass back to the auror who had given it to him before starting his questioning.

"What is your full name?"

"Sirius Orion Black…"

"What House were you sorted into at Hogwarts?"

"…Gryffindor…"

"Are you now, or have you at any point in the past, been a member of the Death Eaters?"

"…no…"

A wave of shocked exclamations erupted and Harry waved for silence.

"Are you now, or have you at any point in the past, knowingly given information or aid to the one who called himself Lord Voldemort?"

"…no…"

Again, a wave of shock seemed to flow through the Coutroom.

"When my parents, James and Lily Potter, were in hiding, were you the Secret Keeper for the spell which concealed them?"

"…no…"

"When my parents, James and Lily Potter, were in hiding, who was the Secret Keeper for the spell which concealed them?"

"…Peter Pettigrew…"

"Why was Pettigrew chosen to be the Secret Keeper?"

"…because we knew that everyone would assume it was me as I was James' best friend…"

"Did Peter Pettigrew betray them to the one known as Lord Voldemort?"

"…yes…"

"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew?"

"…no, he got away…"

"How did he get away?"

"…Peter is a Rat Animagus… he cut off his finger, then he used a blasting spell… While I was recovering… he turned into a rat and vanished into the sewers…"

"How do you know Pettigrew is an animagus?"

"…James and I helped him learn…"

"Are _you_ an Animagus?"

"…yes…"

Harry gave a firm nod, then turned to the Judge. "I am aware that the penalty for being an unregistered Animagus is a fine of a thousand Galleons and two weeks in Azkaban, the sentence increasing by a week per hundred Galleons that the perpetrator cannot pay. I suggest that the Court accepts that with his incarceration, Mr Black has indeed paid the penalty for being an unregistered Animagus and should be officially registered as one after the end of this session. Also, since by _Veritaserum_ testimony and the fact that I was aware from my mother's journals that Mr Black, Mr Pettigrew and my father were all Animagi, a dog, rat and stag respectively, I can confirm that portion of Mr Black's statement."

The silence was so intense that Harry almost didn't need his enhanced hearing to listen to their heartbeats.

"As Lord Potter, I request that Mr Black be found innocent of betraying my parents and be remanded into my care until he heals from his unjust imprisonment." Harry continued as the chains binding Black shivered before uncoiling. "The Animagi fine will be paid in full… from the amount that ex-Minister Bagnold owes Mr Black for her reckless disregard of justice and liberty."

"So mote it be." the judge intoned, his wand tapping the bell mounted in front of him, then he leaned forwards. "Lord Potter, you are due back at Hogwarts in a week…"

"I have two House-elves at The Pottery who can look after him as he heals." Harry stated, then someone coughed near the door. Turning, Harry saw the brightly-clad figure of Albus Dumbledore.

"I believe that I can help." The aged wizard said almost diffidently. "Sirius' friend, Mr Remus Lupin, has been aiding me for the past decade, performing searches and missions on my behalf across Europe. I am certain that once I tell him that his friend was never guilty, he will return as quickly as he can."

Harry turned back to the Judge, who nodded.

"Very well, Lord Potter. Mr Black is remanded into your care and all charges against him are dismissed with the exception of being an unregistered Animagus, which shall be entered into his file as _Sentence served_. Madam Bones, please ensure that an Auror visits The Pottery within a week to register Mr Black's Animagus form. In addition, list Mr Pettigrew as alive and wanted on charges of betrayal, faking his death, the murder of twelve Muggles and being an unregistered Animagus."

"Of course." Amelia Bones stated from her own desk. "Mr Potter, do you need any help in moving Mr Black?"

"He's lighter than he looks." Harry said as he carefully helped Sirius to his feet, slinging one of his arms under his shoulders to help him remain upright. "Unless anyone objects, I'll take him now. He really needs a bath."

"…no, not a _bath_ …" Sirius whined and Harry snorted with laughter.

"Well, that's proof of your other form, alright." He chuckled and several of those who had overheard smiled or laughed as well.

* * *

.

_**Sirius Black Innocent!** _

_In a shocking turn of events, it was revealed in front of the entire Wizengamot that_ _Sirius Black,  
long held to have been the one who betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who, was actually Innocent!_

_The true secret keeper and betrayer was none other than Peter Pettigrew…_

Harry put down his copy of the Daily Prophet as Sirius ambled into the room, his apparently-lazy gait not quite managing to hide the fact that he was physically exhausted just from walking between his quarters (where he had spent the last couple of hours scrubbing and soaking with Gilligan watching over him to ensure he didn't drown) to the dining room where a hot meal was waiting for him.

"I can't remember the last time I actually felt clean." He sighed as Herriet appeared, whisked off the cover to reveal a bowl of mild curry and vanished again. "What's this?"

"Food." Harry snarked, earning a glare and a raised eyebrow. "Curry. A mild one that's not very spicy but quite filling. The drink's apple squash, I don't think that alcohol would be a good idea for a while yet."

"You're probably right." Sirius grumbled as he picked up a fork and used it to try a bit of his meal. "Wow! This is _good_!"

Sirius started eating rapidly and Harry tapped the paper in front of him.

"You made the front page and Albus said that he'll have another of my Father's friends here tonight, a Remus Lupin."

"Moony's coming?" Sirius asked eagerly and Harry nodded.

"He is. However, before he comes, there's someone I need to introduce you to. Jor-El?"

Sirius stared as Jor-El's avatar materialized, then he swallowed his mouthful of food.

"This is Jor-El, he's a… guardian spirit linked to the wards and The Pottery."

Sirius tilted his head and Harry noticed that his gaze was on the small symbol that Jor-El had placed on his sleeve, the symbol of the House of El.

"You're linked to the pod, aren't you?" he asked Jor-El and Harry gaped at him. "What? You did know that it was me who found you, right? Don't worry, I promised James that the only people I'd talk about it with were him and you, when you got old enough. Where did the pod come from, anyway?"

"That is a _long_ story." Harry finally admitted.

"I'm not going anywhere." Sirius prompted, using his fork to scoop up more curry and rice.

* * *

.

"Wow." Sirius said as he relaxed in the living room, his hands clasped round a large mug of hot chocolate (topped with whipped cream, mini marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles and a dash of cinnamon). "Cool shape, pup. James and I managed our transformations after checking his archives, but it took us almost a full year to achieve it. It took you, what, twenty minutes?"

Harry returned to his bipedal form and grinned at Sirius. "Pretty much, and most of that was getting used to the new shape."

"Of course, now I need to give you a name." Sirius laughed before taking another sip of his chocolate. Pausing to wipe off the resulting cream mustache, he stroked his (recently-shaved) chin. "Let's see, I think…"

"Krypto."

Sirius blinked. "Krypto? How does that fit?"

"According to Jor-El, I'm a Kryptonian Battle Dog." Harry explained as he sat down. "Take the name of my original home-world and…"

"Krypto." Sirius repeated. "Well, I can think of worse. And while it's tradition that a Marauder is named by another Marauder, you did break me out of prison and get me a nice pile of cash into the bargain. Very well, Krypto it is! Padfoot and Krypto,animagi extraordin-aiyaaagh!"

A column of fire roared into existence in the center of the room, only to be engulfed in fire-retardant foam sprayed from several previously-concealed nozzles in the ceiling. The flames vanished in a cloud of foam, spluttering, protesting cheeps and the occasional swear word.

"Jor-El?"

" _My apologies sir. It would seem we have visitors. Two humans and an avian of unknown provence. I am analyzing the energy pattern of the transportation method used._ "

One of the foam-covered figures finally managed to pull out a wand and a moment later, both men were foam-free, as was the highly-irritated bird perched on the older man's shoulder.

"That was a very interesting experience, although not one I am in a hurry to repeat." Albus chuckled. "My apologies, I asked Fawkes to bring us to you but I should have specified for him to bring us to just _outside_ your home. May I present your Father's other friend and one who has been working for me for the last decade… Remus Lupin… Remus?"

"Moony!" Sirius shouted, pausing just long enough to put his mug down, then he lunged forwards and caught the newcomer in a rough embrace.

"Padfoot… you need to gain some weight." the newcomer joked, tears filling his eyes as the two men grinned at each other.

"I do believe that I should go." Albus said quietly.

"Thank you for bringing him." Harry replied just as quietly and Albus smiled at him before vanishing in a burst of fire. Harry turned back to see Remus helping Sirius back into his seat.

"How to warn them about SssSthss?" He chuckled to himself. "Or should that be _should_ I warn them about SssSthss?"

* * *

.

Peter Pettigrew read the discarded newspaper and swore to himself, then he transformed back into his rodent-form and scurried into a convenient hole as the door exploded in a shower of sparks. Peering out, he saw Filius Flitwick and a couple of others who he couldn't quite identify from his hiding place enter the room, the Charms Master holding a stone from which a map was projected.

"It's having trouble keeping track of him, but he should be… there!" Flitwick pointed and Peter fled.

Hogwarts was no longer safe for him.

Leaving was a great pity, the Weasley Boy was the source of so much nice food, but the prospect of lunch in Azkaban did not appeal to him in the slightest.

It was time to leave the castle and return to his Master.

Besides, between Snape and Narcissa Malfoy, Voldemort wasn't going to be kept in the dark about what was happening.

Even if Narcissa still didn't know that the Dark Lord had returned.

And if he hurried, he could get there before the Dark Lord returned from whatever he had gone to Bulgaria to do.


	25. Education Resumes

"So, what's it like having two of your parent's old friends staying over?" Hermione asked as she and Neville walked up the stairs with Harry on the way to the Great Hall.

"It's quite a laugh." Harry admitted with a smile. "They're full of stories about what they and my father got up to at Hogwarts and after. Sirius is still quite weak from Azkaban, but Remus is helping to oversee his recovery. With good food, rest and exercise, plus a few nutrient potions, he should be almost fully healed by the time school finishes.

"And how did they react to your… large house-guest?" Hermione asked, laughter lurking in her apparently innocent question and Harry's mind flashed back to the day in question.

.

" _This is a really nice place. Once Kreacher and Dobby finish with Grimnauld Place, it should look maybe a tenth as good as this." Sirius nodded as he looked round, his friend and fellow-marauder Remus Lupin following him as they finished the tour of the rebuilt Potter Manor._

" _It's not much, but I call it home." Harry snarked, waving them to take a seat. "Wait, Dobby? I've heard Draco mention him… isn't he a Malfoy elf."_

" _He was part of 'Cissa's dowry." Sirius shrugged. "She didn't want to answer to me as Lord Black when I finally claimed my title, or maybe it was that her husband wouldn't let her, so I reclaimed half her dowry as per the contract, and that included Dobby."_

" _Ah, that explains it." Harry mused, then he shrugged._

" _I still can't believe that you got yourself a giant snake." Sirius sighed. "How did you do it?"_

" _You mean SssSthss the Basilisk? Oh, I rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets." Harry smiled. "Once the control curses were broken, she was happy to adopt one of the new greenhouses as her new home, although she sometimes curls up in my room. She's a good conversationalist."_

_Remus smiled at Sirius' gobsmacked expression._

" _You speak Parseltongue?"_

" _I can, but it was easier to provide a translation device." Harry shrugged, not bothering to mention that it had been Jor-El who had made it in the manufactory deep underfoot. "The diadem that SssSthss wears not only translates her speech, it also projects a type of shield that means her gaze doesn't harm anyone that she doesn't wish to hurt."_

" _The food isss good asss well." Said a slightly metallic voice with a slight hiss. Harry grinned as both men turned, then almost seemed to teleport to the corner of the room furthest away from the giant Basilisk in the doorway. "They ssseem ssslightly jumpy, massster."_

" _Probably awed by your beauty." Harry said, trying not to collapse with laughter as Remus carefully peered out from behind the Grimm-like form that Sirius had flowed into. "Hungry?"_

" _I had a cow three daysss ago." SssSthss said with a slight flex surprisingly similar to a shrug. "I wasss about to take a nap, unlessss you want me for sssomething."_

" _I might join you." Harry smiled and SssSthss nodded before retreating through the door and flowing away._

" _Join her?" Remus finally managed and Harry shrugged._

" _When she curls up, she's surprisingly comfortable. I get a good night's sleep using her as a bed."_

_Sirius stared at him, then returned to his human form. "That is… just unbelievable. Heck of a prank though, pup, persuading her to sneak up like that in order to scare us. You're definitely a Marauder."_

" _Thanks, Padfoot."_

.

"My Dogfather and Moony adjusted quite quickly." Harry noted. "Uncle Remus seemed to find it reassuring, after thinking about it for a while and talking to SssSthss. Sirius was making snake-puns for the rest of the day, though. I don't know what dad was thinking, choosing him as my _dog_ father."

"Did you say Moony?" A familiar voice asked.

"I do believe he did. You… know Moony?"

"Of Moony, Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail?" The first voice continued as its owner, one of the Weasley twins, seemed to pop up out of nowhere to walk beside them, the other twin taking position on their other flank.

"Wormtail is _not_ a Marauder." Harry stated coldly, then he frowned. "Those names… you found the Marauders Map?"

Both twins nodded, although they looked slightly puzzled.

"The Marauders… my father was one and Sirius told me about their map project." Harry said and the twin on their left suddenly gasped with realization.

"Yes, we were listening to the radio! Your dad was a stag animagus!"

"Prongs! Of course, and Black said he was a dog…"

"Padfoot! And you said Pettigrew…"

The twins exchanged long looks.

"Oh crap."

"Scabbers."

"Missing toe."

"Missing finger."

By this time, all five had stopped and Harry looked at the two pale-faced twins curiously.

"You two know where he is?"

"…where he _was_." One of the twins finally sighed. "Scabbers was our brother Percy's pet rat until he was passed to Ron, but don't rats normally live only five or six years?"

"Up to eight in captivity if looked after." Hermione confirmed.

"Ten years." The other twin winced. "We thought it was just a magic rat."

"Guess we were right."

"Do your parents know?" Hermione asked and the twins paled further.

"Mum. Will. Freak."

"Yes, she will."

* * *

.

"Welcome back." Andromeda Tonks said in greeting as the students found their favorite seats and sat down. "Today, we will be discussing the phases of the moon and why certain potions are affected by it whereas others are not. Now, who wants to begin?"

.

"That was a very interesting lesson." Hermione gushed as they exited the potions lab. "I knew that Moondew was one of the plants affected by the moon, but I never realized that Aconite was as well… Harry, isn't that Sirius Black out there with the teachers… _That's Fiendfyre_! I've read about it! Why did Professor Flitwick just use Fiendfyre?"

Harry stared out of the window at the courtyard where Albus, Flitwick and a few others were gathered. "I have a question of my own. What's Sirius doing here in the first place? Pardon me."

Harry broke into a run, carefully not exceeding that speed a normal human could achieve, and quickly reached one of the doors into the courtyard. Stepping through, he waved.

"Sirius, Remus… what's going on?"

"Another _diary_." Flitwick supplied, earning a confused look from Sirius.

"Actually it was a locket…"

"Oh crap. Another one?" Harry sighed, causing Sirius to give him a perplexed look. "How many did that idiot make?"

"He has to be running out of them." Flitwick stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Your scar, the diary, the locket… well, we shall see. Thank you, Mr Black, your help was greatly appreciated."

" _Sirius_ -ly so." Black punned, earning several groans and a dope-slap from Remus.

"We were about to head for lunch." Harry said and Sirius perked up.

"Food? Lead me to it!"

Remus shook his head, but followed Sirius as the other man half-followed, half-pushed Harry towards the Great Hall.

"So, the Ravenclaw table, right?" Sirius asked as he almost bounced along. "Wow, do I remember my days at Hogwarts, I tell you, those Ravenclaw girls can be just so ki- _umph_!"

"Dammit, Padfoot!" Remus half-hissed as he kept his hand clamped over Sirius' mouth. "Remember the conversation we had about _age-appropriate_ comments?"

Sirius sighed, but nodded and Remus released him, wiping his hand against his robe with a grimace of distaste.

"You know," Remus added thoughtfully, "I was almost a Ravenclaw myself, but the Hat finally decided that I fitted slightly better in Gryffindor.

"I was offered Slytherin, but there was no way that I was going to follow my family's example." Sirius shrugged. "Of course, it was your dad who really sold Gryffindor to me. We ended up sharing a compartment and the Blacks are traditionally a Dark family while the Potters are light, so when we realized who the other one was, we just sat there staring at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move, then the door opened and it was your mother. She looked at us and asked if all wizards were always so serious.  
"Your father pointed at me and said _Nope, only him_. It was the first time I heard that Sirius/Serious pun and I fell off the bench laughing. By the time I recovered, she'd gone, probably convinced that we were nutcases."

"She would be right about that." Remus interjected. "You and James were."

"And what were you, then?"

"The one doing damage control." Remus shot back as he sat down beside Sirius. Harry sat down opposite them, then blinked as Fed and George plonked themselves down beside Remus, who gave them a quizzical look.

"Aren't you Gryffindors?"

"We are."

"But we checked."

"And except at official feasts, people are allowed, nay, officially _encouraged_ to sit with their friends at whichever table at least one of them belongs."

"And since we are friends with Lord Potter, or at least not enemies, we decided to join you."

"After all, a chance to learn from the two remaining Marauders?"

"Padfoot and Moony?"

"How could we not?"

"They have a copy of the old Marauders Map." Harry supplied. "Oh, don't worry, I don't need it. Nev, Hermione and I all have our own maps."

"Well, you've one-upped us again." Sirius noted admiringly. "It took us almost four years to perfect our Map."

"I had some help." Harry demurred.

"Oh!" Sirius grinned. "By the way, I made a donation to Hogwarts, boosting their coffers somewhat, so now I have a standing invitation to all the Quidditch games. Sunday after next, I'll be there to cheer for you. As will Remus."

Remus paused eating to nod in confirmation.

"Thanks, Sirius." Harry smiled.

"Hey, I'm your Godfather, remember?" Sirius laughed.

"So, you made someone an offer they couldn't refuse?" Hermione giggled and Sirius looked blankly at her.

"What?"

Hermione sighed. "It's taken from one of my Dad's favorite films, called The Godfather. It's about the career of a criminal mastermind as he leads his organisation through the years."

"A film about a criminal?" Sirius mused, then he shook his head. "Muggles are weird."

Hermione opened her mouth to try and explain, but Neville gave her a _look_ , causing her to sigh and apply herself to her food.

* * *

.

"Hey, just thought we'd pop by to tell you we're headed out." Sirius said as Harry exited the Transfiguration classroom. "I've dealt with what I needed to deal with… and I was right. It was at Malfoy's insistence that Narcissa didn't recognize me as Lord Black. Of course, this means that once I visit Gringotts to formalize things, you'll be my sole heir."

"…thanks?" Harry managed and Sirius grinned widely even as Remus started trying to pull him away.

"Well, gotta go. Mr _I-used-to-be-fun-but-am-now-a-responsible-adult_ seems to think I need to be somewhere else. See you later!"

Harry gave Sirius a wave as Remus dragged him off, scolding him about the need to not keep a Gringotts Goblin waiting.

"That man is a child." Hermione huffed and Harry pounced on the opportunity.

"Really? I thought he was being very _Sirius_. Ow! Neville, help!"

"Oh no." Neville shook his head as he carefully stepped out of range. "You brought this one on yourself, Harry."

"Traitor!"

A blond Slytherin glanced at them as he moved past, but none of them noticed.

.

Narcissa Malfoy looked up from her marking as someone knocked on her door.

"Enter!"

The door opened and Narcissa smiled broadly, her normal reserve in abeyance since it was her beloved son rather than a social competitor. "Yes, Draco?"

"Mother." Draco said as he stepped into the room and Narcissa's mental antennae twitched at his tone. "I overheard a certain conversation which indicates that at least one of your plans for me has failed."

Narcissa allowed a trace of confusion to show. "Draco? What are you talking about?"

"You need to write to Father. Lord Black was visiting and he mentioned that since you did not recognise him as the true Lord Black due to Father's insistence, he is taking steps to cut me out of the line of inheritance."

Narcissa paled. "But… who will be his… Potter?"

Draco nodded as Narcissa rose from her seat and started pacing. "If Lord Potter becomes Lord Black as well, he'll have almost as much money as we have as well as far more political power… Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Draco."

Draco nodded, then withdrew and Narcissa moved over to the Floo, reaching for the bowl of Floo powder on the mantelpiece.

"Malfoy Manor!"

* * *

.

The fire in the Floo turned back to its normal reddish hue as Lucius stared in terrified horror at the space where his wife's head had been.

"Lucius…" Voldemort almost purred as he stepped out of the corner he had been in to prevent Narcissa from spotting him while still allowing him to overhear the conversation in its entirety. "I do believe that we need to have a discussion about the sorts of plans you come up with and the need to consider the follow through, hmmm?"

Lucius cringed as Voldemort walked over to loom above him.

"Follow me, Lucius. I do believe that I know how you can at least partially atone for your latest error. I was thinking of taking Pettigrew with me, but I do believe that you would be more suited."

"Anything, My Lord!" Lucius whimpered and Voldemort smiled coldly.

"Then grab your cloak, Lucius. There is a certain cave that I wish to visit and your presence will be invaluable…"

* * *

.

Millicent Bagnold looked angrily at the single-room flat that was her new home. In the corner, separated from the room only by a rather tattered curtain, was a shower stall and a toilet. A sink was nearby along with a small grill and in the other corner, a bed sagged on a cracked frame.

Bagnold dropped her bag on the threadbare and moth-eaten carpet. She had been incredibly lucky to have avoided Azkaban by selling off almost all her assets (and calling in almost every favor she had been owed) but now all she had to look forwards to was a one-room existence, relying on the unaugmented pension that was all she was officially entitled to as a former Minister of Magic.

And her new financial state was the result of that damned _Boy-who-lived_! She had tried to protect him and this was how he repaid her? Beggaring her and condemning her to this _hideous_ existence!

Her teeth started grinding as she stomped over to the grimy window and glared out at the muggle street below.

She didn't know how, but she would get her revenge.

She would regain _her_ House-Elves and _her_ old house… no. She would claim the _Potter Mansion_ as her own. She would regain her rightful place and she would see Potter _humbled_!

…Of course, she needed first to see what remained of her contacts and what assets she still had to call upon.

But she would get her revenge, no matter what she had to do or who she had to ally with.

The _Boy-who-lived_ would fall.

And she would be there to gloat.


	26. Quidditch

"Alright, people!" Roger Davies declaimed. "Today is the day we go up against Slytherin again. While they'll play according to the rules most of the time, expect at least a few dirty tricks if they think it won't be picked up by the referee or the commentators."

He paused and looked around. "Harry, we're counting on you to stop them scoring. Cho, we need you on top form today."

"I know." Cho agreed. "I've been practicing even more since Weasley beat me to the Snitch last year."

"Beaters, counter-beating is your priority, I need our chasers protected. Cho, your main aim is to block Higgs. Catch the Snitch if you can, but _stop_ him from catching it unless we've scored at least one-sixty more than they have."

"I won't let him pull a Weasley on us." Cho promised, then she winced slightly and looked at Ginny, who was wearing a sarcastically amused expression. "Sorry. Make that pull a _Percy_ on us."

"Much better." Roger snarked and Cho blushed with embarrassment. "Anna, Ginny, I hope you two are ready to do the plays we've been practicing."

Both girls nodded and Roger smiled, raising his broomstick. "Then let's go!"

With a roar of agreement, the team followed their captain towards the pitch.

.

"Sirius, how nice of you to join us." Albus greeted the younger man jovially.

"I couldn't pass up the chance to see my godson playing, now could I? Remus sends his regards, but he's dealing with something that came up, so he's apparently going to catch the game at the Hog's Head, not sure how." Sirius shrugged, looking over the banister at the Quidditch pitch. "Wow, you've _really_ upgraded it, it looks just like a professional pitch, but what's with those pillars around the stands?"

"Those are the runic arrays that copy the action of the players and sends it to the special Quidditch Tables." Lucius Malfoy stated as he limped up, resting heavily on his cane. "Dumbledore, Lord Black."

"You admit I'm the rightful Lord Black?" Sirius asked with a wide grin. "What took you so long?"

Lucius glowered at him as he limped across to the seating area adjoining the Teachers Box.

"What happened to him?" Black asked quietly.

"I don't know." Albus admitted just as quietly. "But Narcissa isn't here today. I have no idea what could be so important as to make her miss watching her son play…"

.

Narcissa fought to keep from trembling as she walked up the stairs of Gringotts, the key to her Sister's vault in her hand.

"Relax, Narcissa." Voldemort murmured into her ear, causing her to flinch slightly. "Bellatrix listed you as being allowed limited access to her vault and what we are doing is retrieving just a single item that she was holding for me. All perfectly legal, nothing to be concerned about."

Narcissa nodded jerkily, mentally cursing her husband for ever joining the Dark Lord's forces, even though his victory had seemed all but inevitable at the time. Looking round, she walked across to one of the vacant desks, Voldemort at her shoulder, and waited for the Goblin to deign to notice her.

"Yes?" The Goblin growled as he put down his quill.

"Narcissa Malfoy here to access Bellatrix Black's vault." Narcissa said, holding out the silver key. The Goblin took it, examined it and nodded.

"Very good. You are limited to removing no more than three items per moon, or fifty Galleons."

"I understand." Narcissa stated.

"Good. Slashfist! Take these two to vault 597, only the female is allowed to actually enter!"

The Goblin who had approached them from behind saluted, then motioned for the pair to follow him to the carts.

.

Lucius settled into one of the padded chairs and rubbed his right leg, hiding a wince of pain as he did so.

"So, Lucy, how's life treating you?" Sirius inquired as he dropped into the seat next to Lucius, offering him a bag filled with something that Lucius didn't recognize. "And do you want some popcorn?"

Lucius sneered at the proffered foodstuff and Sirius shrugged, pulling the paper bag back.

"Suit yourself. So, any idea why Narcissa isn't here? I was so looking forwards to speaking to my cousin again."

"She had some family business to take care of." Lucius ground out as, below them, both teams emerged from the tunnel onto the pitch. "I suspect that she will be joining us soon."

Black simply raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Really? Would that be _Malfoy_ business or _Black_ business? As Lord Black, I really should know if it's the latter."

Lucius studiously ignored him and Sirius laughed before settling back to watch the match.

.

Narcissa stepped into the vault and looked round. the Lestrange Vault was filled with piles of coins and items that, even to her senses, radiated dark magic. Looking round cautiously, making sure that she didn't touch anything, she finally spotted the goblet that had been described to her in extreme detail, standing on a shelf at the back of the vault. Pulling out the bag that Voldemort had insisted she used, Narcissa edged towards the goblet, finally getting close enough that she could put the bag over the goblet and use it to scoop it up without actually touching it. Breathing a sigh of relief, she made her way back to the entrance of the vault where her Husband's master was waiting patiently.

"Very good." Voldemort nodded after peering into the bag. "Now, I do believe that you have a game to get to. Do not worry, your husband is saving a seat for you. Oh, and take this amulet. So long as you wear it, you will have nothing to fear from the curse on the Defence Teacher's position."

"…thank you, Lord Voldemort."

.

"Whoo! Go Harry!" Sirius cheered, leaping up in excitement as his godson saved yet another shot. "That's the way to do it!"

Lucius frowned at Sirius, then looked round.

"Out of interest, where's your minder?"

Sirius paused, then gave him a confused look. "What?"

"Your minder." Lucius repeated. "Lupin. I expected to see him here, doing his best to keep you from making more of a fool of yourself than you normally do."

"He's probably at the Hog's Head by now." Sirius shrugged. "He's arranging for some of my unwanted furniture to be sold by a Mr Fletcher, he's apparently got some very useful contacts. Remus enjoys doing things like that, so I've hired him as my Majordomo."

"I suppose you need someone to give _understandable_ commands to your House-elf." Lucius sneered. "Then again, Dobby wasn't a very good elf to have around. I was glad to get rid of him. I've got _two_ new elves now, ones that know their places."

"Oh yes, can't forget your place now, can we?" Sirius snarked back as he returned to his seat. "What was it again? Kneeling under the effects of the Imperius? For a full decade? I hope that you've been working on your Occlumancy since then…"

Lucius growled and turned his attention to the game, doing his utmost to ignore Sirius who chuckled before taking a handful of popcorn, then Black jumped to his feet with a scream of joy as Cho Chang rose into view, one hand thrust up into the air and the Snitch held firmly in her fingers.

"Yes!" He shouted in glee. "Two hundred and forty to zero! Good one, Ravenclaw! Nice work!"

"It's over already?" Narcissa asked from the back of the box.

* * *

.

Lucius emerged from the Floo, stumbling as he briefly put his weight on his bad leg, only to be caught. Looking up, he saw that it was Griffith Nott supporting him.

"Nott." He said in greeting as he regained his balance. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Our Master summoned me and set a task for me, should he be struck down." Nott said proudly. "He has tasked me with holding a ritual chalice. Should he fall, I am to find one who will become his new Host and force them to drink a potion from the chalice, thus returning our Master to life."

"Nott…" Voldemort said in a warning tone and Griffith Nott swallowed nervously. "For now, I shall let it pass as Lucius is one of my most trusted, but if you cannot hold your tongue, I will have no choice but to have you swear an Unbreakable Vow…"

"Sorry, My Lord!" Nott almost whimpered.

"You may go, Nott, and remember to hold your tongue about this."

Nott bowed, then almost ran for the Floo. As he vanished, Voldemort held up a ring with a large stone inset into it.

"Narcissa confirmed that my Locket has been destroyed at Hogwarts. Regulas Black is, however, beyond even _my_ reach at this time, so I cannot exact vengeance on him. However, I have a task for you, Lucius, and this time, I shall explain it. As you know, the Diary was meant to let me regain a body, but it failed. Fortunately, that idiot Gilderoy stumbled across another of my anchors but in doing so, he showed me a weakness I had not considered. My anchors must indeed be kept safe, but should I be struck down, one of them must be _used_ in order to allow me to return once again. As such, I give this ring into your keeping. Should I shed this mortal coil once more, find a magical and make them wear this ring. Doing so will summon my soul to take possession of the one you have chosen, such as I did to Lockhart, then I reshape my new body into a vessel worthy to hold me."

"I understand, My Lord." Lucius bowed deeply as Voldemort placed the ring into a small box and held it out to him. "I shall guard it with my very life."

"I expected no less of you, my loyal servant." Voldemort purred, placing the ring box into his hand. "But be careful of where you store it. I doubt you would appreciate losing your heir and I have no wish to lose your skills as the price of my return."

"Of course, my Lord. Thank you." Lucius murmured, trying to think of how he could use it if needed without falling foul of the Unbreakable Vow that Narcissa had made him swear.

.

.

"Remus?" Sirius called as he emerged from the Floo.

"Here." Remus replied, appearing in the door.

"I see you got rid of that old furniture I always hated. Did you get that thing installed?"

"I did." Remus confirmed. "We're now indirectly linked to The Pottery with a Switching Room."

Sirius looked round almost eagerly, then paused. "Indirectly?"

"The Room links to the flat that Harry purchased in Diagon, a flat which has its own Switching Room linking to The Pottery." Remus explained, moving to one side of the room and opening the door of what appeared to be a simple cupboard. "With the wards he's placed in that flat and the security systems covering the Floo room in The Pottery, it maintains his security while giving us easy access."

"And it lets us go shopping faster." Sirius nodded. "Nice one, Moony."

"I spoke to Jor-El." Remus added. "He's placing extra shields around the Pottery and its grounds so that when I suffer from my furry little problem, I can run around there without risking hurting anyone."

" _We_ can run around." Sirius corrected him, the usual laughter totally absent from his voice as he placed a reassuring hand on Remus' shoulder. "Prongs may not be around to run with us any more, but Krypto has said that he will."

"Krypto?" Remus asked. "Who's Krypto?"

"You may know him as _Pup_ or _Prongslet_." Sirius grinned and Remus' jaw dropped.

"Harry's an _Animagus_? How? He's only a second-year!"

"He's awesome, that's how." Sirius preened. "Must take after his dogfather."

Remus glowered at him.

* * *

.

"Severus." Narcissa called as she entered his office and the Potions Master looked up from the essay he was marking.

"You seem… perturbed."

"It's… _him_." Narcissa growled, flinging herself into the chair in front of Severus' desk. "I can't discuss it, but he made me miss my son's Quidditch game, damn him!"

Severus nodded, his right hand lightly stroking his left forearm.

" _He_ hasn't contacted me yet and I do not know why."

Narcissa shook her head. "He's like he was _before_ he started down that path, cold and calculating, endlessly patient… he scares me, Severus. He has a plan and I don't know what it is. And even worse, he is _learning_! I found him reading a very useful list that one of my Muggleborn acquaintances gave me a few years back, something based on a Muggle thing called Fengri, and I swear he was making notes!"

Severus leaned back, steepling his fingers as he thought about what Narcissa was saying.

"What is he up to?" Severus half-whispered. "Why isn't he making any moves yet?"

"Oh, he is." Narcissa complained. "Just very quiet ones."


	27. Meetings

"Ah, Harry." Percy Weasley said in greeting from behind the multiple piles of library books that he was using. "I believe I saw Hermione leaving about five minutes ago, so if you're after her, I'm afraid she isn't here."

Harry blinked. "Thanks. Did she happen to mention where she was going?"

"No, but she seemed to be concentrating on something on her wrist." Percy frowned.

"Then she'll want some privacy for a while." Harry nodded, earning a confused look from the older boy. "Thanks."

"Harry."

Percy's call stopped Harry as he was about to leave and he turned back to face the Head Boy.

"I was wondering… how is Ginevra getting on? I haven't actually seen her around for the last week…"

"She's doing extra practice for Quidditch." Harry said, moving to the chair opposite Percy and sitting down. "Although our next game isn't until we take you on in May, she's working hard to become the best Chaser that she can be."

"Good." Percy smiled. "Could I impose on you to inform her that if she needs any help, I will do all I can to aid her. Except for letting her win the game in May, that is."

Harry stared at Percy in near-shock for a long moment. "You know, the twins were quite insistent that you didn't have a sense of humor."

Percy gave a tight smile. "I do have one, I just prefer to wait for the perfect time to use it."

"It works." Harry laughed. "You _need_ to get your brothers with it at some point, the looks on their faces will be incredible."

"Yes, but then they will come after me expecting a repeat performance." Percy countered before looking thoughtful. "Although I do suppose that getting them with a well-timed comment _after_ I've completed my exams would be quite satisfying while leaving them with insufficient time to seek revenge. Yes, I do believe I shall do that. Thank you for the idea."

"Give me a heads-up so I can watch."

"If you promise to bring Ginevra as well so that she can see I'm _not_ as boring as she constantly accuses me of being, then yes, I will."

"You have a deal." Harry grinned and Percy smiled in return.

.

"Ah, Severus. It is good to see that you remain loyal to me." Voldemort waved a goblet of fine Firewhiskey at the Potions Master, who was bowing deeply in the doorway to the study that the Dark Lord had appropriated for the meeting.

"You summoned me, My Lord." Severus replied as he straightened. "I came. How may I serve?"

"I need you to use your _other_ skills for me, Severus." Voldemort stated, waving for Malfoy to hand him a folder with several sheets of parchment in it. Severus gave him a quizzical look and Voldemort motioned for him to take a look.

"These are… the Schema for Hogwarts Wards?" Severus asked after a moment.

"Very good, Severus." Voldemort smiled. "Yes, I gained them through a trusted source, but what I need to know is… are they accurate? I know it is traditional for Headmasters to tweak or add to the Wards, but many were not trained in setting up Wards and ended up weakening them, which is why they had to be torn down and re-cast barely two centuries ago. I need to know, what have the Headmasters done to alter _these_ Wards?"

Severus closed the folder and tucked it under his arm. "When do you wish me to report by, My Lord? Doing this under Dumbledore's gaze without arousing his suspicions will be… tricky."

"There is no need to rush." Voldemort shrugged. "My other plans need time to mature and I have many paths of research to spend my time on. Given that, though, I would appreciate a reply within the next month."

"That should be more than enough time, My Lord." Severus bowed. "Your generosity is appreciated."

"I do believe that is all for now." Voldemort took another sip of his Firewhiskey. "Do not let me detain you."

As Severus departed, Lucius gave Voldemort a confused look. "My Lord?"

"Yes, Lucius?"

"I… was unaware that you had other plans…"

"That is because what you do not know, you cannot be forced to reveal by, for example, Dumbledore." Voldemort stated. "Rest assured that I know what I am doing. Now, we are expecting another guest, one I will greet personally. _You_ will remain inside, so as to not risk annoying him. After all, Fenrir has such a quick temper and no social skills whatsoever, but the forces he commands mean that it is more than worth the effort to recruit that brute back into our ranks once more…"

.

"Crap." Severus stated and, standing in the memory beside him, looking at the piece of parchment sticking out from underneath a book, Albus could only nod in agreement. A long moment passed, then both men vanished, reappearing in Albus's study.

As Severus retrieved the memory from the Penseive in which they had been viewing it, Albus sagged into his seat.

"He knows the Prophecy in its entirety." Albus sighed, his eyes closed as he fought to comprehend the changes such a simple fact would cause. "For over a decade, I hoped that he would not be able to reach it… but when did he do it? I need to check with the Unspeakables… as quickly as possible."

"He's tasked me with checking to see what alterations have been made to the Hogwarts Wards." Severus nodded towards the folder that he'd placed by the Penseive and Albus reached out to leaf through it.

"Hmmm, the original plans… he's really _very_ good at collecting information, isn't he? Very well, the file you need is in the cabinet over there, but I can tell you that although the Wards have been tweaked, it was by professional Warders at the _request_ of the Headmasters. We did not want to have to lose most of out financial reserves recasting the Wards _again_ , after all. It's taken us almost two _centuries_ to rebuild our reserves so that we no longer are beholden to the Ministry for the ability to meet our costs. Our financial independence was finally restored barely forty years ago and as such, I have no wish to lose it."

"I don't know why the Dark Lord wants it, but when I find out, I'll tell you." Severus said, going to the indicated filing cabinet and opening it. Rummaging through it, he extracted a file. "I'll return it to you once I've finished copying it, then I can use it to make the notes that he wants. The Dark Lord can wait a fortnight or so, long enough to make it clear how difficult the task is…"

"And how efficient and capable you are." Albus finished, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Very well."

Severus bowed and exited the office while Albus leaned back.

"Perhaps I should check the Wards myself… or hire a team to check them. There may be a weakness that Tom has deduced… but what could it be? Perhaps I should ask young Harry how to place Wards under the control of a ghost… but which of them could I trust to perform such a task? All of them have biases that have only grown stronger since they died… what a conundrum…"

* * *

.

Severus paused in his marking as a knock sounded on the door.

"Enter." He called, putting down his quill and scowling at the messy scrawl that was supposed to be an essay.

"Sir?" A familiar voice asked and Severus looked up to see Harry stood in the doorway.

"Mr Potter. What seems to be the problem?"

"It's not school-related, sir, but… sir, what do you know about werewolves?"

"Remus Lupin." Severus leaned back in his chair, enjoying the shock that crossed Harry's face. "You are here to inquire about something regarding Remus Lupin, correct? Perhaps… Wolfsbane Potion?"

"Yes, sir." Harry said, moving to the chair that Severus had waved him to. "I know it helps in… _taming_ the inner wolf, but… is there a way to turn a Werewolf into an Animagus?"

Severus stared at Harry long enough that the younger boy started to fidget.

"That… is a very interesting question." Severus finally allowed. "I can see why you may think that, both involve transformation from human to animal and back again… and while the werewolf change is unwanted whereas the Animagus process is about the wish to gain another form… it is not outside the realms of possibility."

"I thought a potion would be the best way of doing it." Harry offered. "And since you're a Potions Master, who better to look into it? Possibly as a NEWT Project?"

Severus' lips twitched slightly. "You are wasted in Ravenclaw, Mr Potter. With such cunning, you would have done well as one of my Snakes."

Harry shook his head. "Nah, I'm too straightforwards and I have a strong right hook. If I was in Slytherin, I think quite a few of them would be semi-regular patients of Madam Pomphrey and needing a lot of teeth regrown."

"Somehow, that does not surprise me." Severus agreed. "Of course, I will need to perform some diagnostic spells on a werewolf during the change to know just what's happening."

"Already done." Harry said, rising from his chair and moving to the Map Table. "May I?"

"Go ahead." Severus replied, curious as to what Harry intended. Harry pulled out his wand and touched it to the Map Table.

"Potter over-ride, code phrase _Hope, contemplation and serenity_. Access Potter Communications Network. Jor-El, can you hear me?"

The Map blinked out of sight, only to be replaced by the transparent figure of a man. _"I am here, Lord Potter."_

"This is Potions Master Severus Snape. He is to be granted Beta-level access on project Wolf Tamer."

" _Very good, sir."_

"Jor-El is a guardian spirit sworn to my House." Harry explained. "He is totally loyal and never forgets anything. Tell him what you need and he will do his utmost to see that you receive it. Jor-El, show magical readouts of werewolf transformation."

Jor-El vanished, only to be replaced by an image of Remus Lupin which morphed into a wolf and back. As it did so, several screens opened up, some showing wiggly lines and changing numerals while another showed a view of how the skeleton changed.

"I have no idea what I am looking at." Severus finally admitted and Harry face-palmed.

"Jor-El, repeat display but use standard Arithmancy Notations and formulas."

" _Very good,sir._ "

Severus watched the multiple screens intently, then leaned back once more.

"I will need to consult with Professors Vector and Babbling, but you may have stumbled across something, Mr Potter. I shall certainly give this idea of yours my attention. You may leave."

"Thank you, sir." Harry smiled as he left the office and Severus turned back to the image.

"Again, Jorel, but this time at half speed and show me the biological changes too if possible."

" _Very good,sir._ "

.

Harry entered the Study Room (which Flitwick had expanded again, using the last of the three previously-unused classrooms on that side of the corridor) and looked round.

"We're over here, Harry!" Hermione called from where she was helping Su Li with an essay while in one carefully-warded corner, Morag coached Neville through one of the charms that Flitwick had directed everyone to practice. "Did you do whatever it was that you didn't explain to us?"

"I did." Harry confirmed, noting with amusement the way that Hermione was obviously bursting with curiosity but not letting herself act on it. "It's a long-term project aimed at curing a specific magical problem. I'd like to tell you more, but it needs to remain quiet for now, so…"

Harry broke off with an apologetic shrug and Hermione sighed.

"Okay. Need any help with your homework?"

"I've done most of it, but I could use someone to proofread my Defense essay."

Hermione held out her hand imperiously and Harry smothered a laugh as he pulled his essay out of the bag he was carrying. Hermione accepted the folder and opened it, scanning the neatly-written words with a speed that most would envy.

"Pretty good," She admitted, "But you made a mistake _here_ in the wand movements. It's swish-and- _stab_ , not swish-and- _point_."

Harry looked at the sentence in question, then nodded.

"Good catch, Hermione, thanks. Fortunately, I'll only have to re-write half a page."

Hermione smiled and turned back to helping Su Li.


	28. Darkness Strikes

The near silence in the Great Hall was Harry's first clue that something huge had happened, the early-edition newspaper waiting for him at his normal seat (with Grace perched on top of it so that no-one else could take it) was his second.

"Thanks, Grace." Harry said to his owl as he reached for the rolled-up paper and Grace gave a soft _churr_ of acknowledgement before launching herself into the air and landing on Harry's shoulder, using her beak to try and tame his eternally-messy hair. Harry unrolled the paper, then stared at the headline.

**Azkaban Breakout!  
** _By Rita Skeeter_

_Yesterday, the impossible happened and the high-security prison  
_ _island Azkaban was attacked by unknown forces. The attackers were  
_ _not detected on their approach and according to the lone survivor, the  
_ _attackers were clad in hooded cloaks and masks identical to the defunct  
_ _terrorist group known as the Death Eaters, those who had followed the  
_ Dark Lord Who Must Not Be Named _over a decade ago._

_According to the survivor (whose name is withheld for security reasons),  
_ _the attackers approached the main gate and, as they reached it, a man  
_ _currently believed to be Peter Pettigrew opened it from the inside, having  
_ _managed to wriggle through a small gap in the form of a brown rat._

_Readers will remember that Peter Pettigrew is a fugitive who is currently  
_ _wanted by the DMLE on a number of charges, including murdering a dozen  
_ _Muggles and being an unregistered Animagus with the form of a rat._

_The survivor managed to escape the attack by means of being an Animagus  
_ _himself and witnessed the attackers opening the cells in the High-Security  
_ _wing, releasing most of the prisoners and murdering those who refused to  
_ _join them and bow to their leader. Notable escapees include the Lestranges  
_ _who were imprisoned for their torture of Lord Longbottom and his wife after  
_ _the defeat of_ He Who Must Not Be Named _. In addition, the Dementors have  
_ _also departed from Azkaban, raising the possibility that this truly is the_ Dark  
Lord _returned since the last time the Dementors abandoned their posts, it was  
_ _to serve under_ He Who Must Not Be Named _._

_The Ministry Of Magic has placed this news under a blackout, refusing to give  
_ _any warnings that some of the most deadly and vicious criminals alive are now  
_ _free once more, able to murder, rape and terrorize their way through our society._

_When pressed for information, the Ministry not only refused to comment, they  
_ _threatened to have this reporter Kissed should the story be published…_

* * *

**Rita Skeeter Vanishes  
** _By Melanie Flitterwicket_

_The award-winning reporter and columnist Rita Skeeter has gone into hiding after  
_ _an attempt on her life believed to be at the command of the Ministry of Magic. No  
_ _less than six Dementors swooped down on her home in York, only to discover that the  
_ _intrepid reporter had predicted the lethal raid and departed before she could be silenced._

_Deprived of their original target, the Dementers Kissed over a dozen Muggles  
_ _before vanishing. The Ministry has responded to this by issuing a warrant for Rita  
_ _Skeeter's arrest on the charges of multiple murder, charges which bear quite a  
_ _remarkable resemblance to the charges used to falsely imprison Lord Black for  
_ _over a decade…_

.

"Oh hell." Harry whispered to himself. "This is not good."

Grabbing a couple of pieces of bread and some sausages, he made a quick sandwich, then rose from the bench. Grace gave an inquisitive noise.

"I need to talk to Jor-El." He explained quietly. "If he doesn't know this, he should. And I hope to hell that Padfoot and Moony haven't decided to go out today. Sirius needs to know about this if he doesn't already."

Grace remained on Harry's shoulder as he exited the hall.

* * *

.

Voldemort walked into the dining room of Riddle Manor and ignored his bowing followers until he reached the dais and throne that he had ordered installed. Seating himself (while adjusting his cape in a way that resembled a set of wings), he leaned back and raised one hand.

"You may rise, my followers." He said softly, his voice pitched _just_ right to carry across the large hall. With a rustling of cloaks and robes, the assembled figures rose from their knees and stood before him, awaiting his commands. With another cloak-flick (one of the few useful reflexes of the original owner of his body that Voldemort had elected to retain), the Dark Lord stood, the three-stepped dais raising him so that he seemed to tower over the assembly.

"My followers!" he began, his voice echoing in the hall. "Eleven years ago, I fell. I shed my mortal coil due to a mother's sacrifice and the so-called _Boy-Who-Lived_ , Harry Potter!  
"And yet, I stand here before you today, restored once more to my prime thanks to the steps I had taken before my unfortunate encounter!  
"Death itself cannot hold me! I fear it not, for even should I fall again, I will return! So sayeth Lord Voldemort!"

The rafters seemed to shake as the assembled Death Eaters cheered and yelled his praises while he stood there, arms uplifted in victory, drinking in their worship like it was a fine wine. Finally he lowered his hands and the noise decreased as if he was casting a spell.

"I know many of you are concerned as to why I did not send out the call as soon as I had returned." He stated. "However, I had reason to do so. There were those who had betrayed me, like Igor Karkaroff who sought to hide from me in Durmstrang. He no longer numbers among the living, let all take heed of his fate.  
"There were many plans I had to put into motion before those who would oppose me could react to my return. You may have heard rumors of a Prophecy delivered shortly before my… unexpected demise. I had heard only the first two lines before that night but since I returned, I have listened to the whole Prophecy in the Hall of Prophecy itself as Macnair can confirm, since it was he who was by my side that fine day."

Walden Macnair nodded proudly, straightening up from his habitual half-slouch as he silently exulted in the respect that he was being given.

"My wand was returned to me by the one who had safeguarded it in anticipation of my return and although his success in having one of my foes imprisoned in Azkaban and thus unable to aid Potter has recently been reversed, I am still impressed by his actions as well as the many tasks he has carried out for me since without hesitation or complaint. As such, I hereby declare Peter Pettigrew to no longer be known by his old title of Wormtail but instead as _Inquisitor_ , my personal spy and messenger when security and secrecy are of utmost importance."

Pettigrew seemed to swell with pride and for a mere moment, his robes almost _didn't_ make him look like a masked ambulatory beanbag.

"My right hand man has aided me greatly, informing me of all the things over the last decade which I needed to know and gathering more wealth ready to use in re-launching our glorious crusade! Lucius Malfoy, know that you are now, in front of all those here, confirmed as my trusted lieutenant and the one who will lead whenever I am absent."

"You are too kind, My Lord." Lucius murmured as he bowed deeply.

"And those of you who have rejoined me after your years in Azkaban, I greet you once more into our ranks with open arms. Once you have healed from your experiences and regained your former strength, you shall become as my wand… wielded against our enemies, those who seek to overturn all that is good and true about our world in favor of bleeding-heart liberalism and whinging cries about how the lowliest mudblood is somehow equal to the cream of society who stand here before me!  
"I ask you now, will you stride forward with me to bring order to the Wizarding World? To secure the futures of your children and their children beyond them? Will you help me in creating a new world for them where they will be seen and respected for being members of the Pure, the elite, the _truebloods_?  
"Are you with me?"

If not for the carefully-applied silencing charms woven into the Wards surrounding Riddle Manor, the cheers would have been heard in the nearby village.

As it was, they did not reach even the shed in the formal gardens where the cooling body of the aged gardener lay, having been slain that morning by a flash of green light that morning fired from the wand of the man who had purchased the mansion.

* * *

.

Lord Sirius Black strode into the Wizengamot, his normally-jovial expression in abeyance. Beside him, Harry strode in freshly-made traditional Formal Robes in the purple of the Wizengamot, the Potter Crest worked onto his chest in gold thread. aking his way into the Hall, he glanced at Sirius, who nodded, then they parted ways, making their separate ways to the Seats that they were able to claim, Harry due to the Order of Merlin he had been awarded as a toddler and Sirius because the Black Family had held a seat since time immemorial (even though the Malfoys had held it during his imprisonment). Sitting down, they looked across at each other.

" _Can you hear me, pup?"_ Sirius' voice came through Harry's earpiece.

"I can." Harry subvocalized, letting the tiny microphone set in his collar pick up his words and send them to Sirius' earbud.

" _Pup, Pad,Wolf here, comms test confirmed."_ Remus Lupin said from the library of The Pottery where he was sat at a special desk which had holographic screen projectors, allowing him to pull up whatever documents he wanted from Jor-El's archives. After discovering what Jor-El could do, Sirius had arranged to have Jor-El scan the entirety of the Black Library and installed a remote console in Grimnauld Place to allow Jor-El to communicate in real-time as well as augment Grimnauld's wards. For this meeting, though, Remus was acting as their real-time researcher and reference provider with Jor-El's aid. _"I've got good imagery from your collar-cameras too. Incredible resolution, I can see almost every one of your flyaway hairs, Harry."_

Harry managed not to snort at the reference to his eternally untamable hair.

" _Here comes Fudge."_ Sirius noted. _"He looks like he hasn't had any sleep."_

Harry twitched as he managed not to nod in agreement. Fudge's face was lined and his eyes boasted bags that could almost have been used for shopping. His normal strut had been replaced with a heavy, listless tread while his shoulders slumped as if he had a troll hanging from each arm. Even his green bowler somehow appeared slightly deflated.

Scuttling along beside Fudge was Dolores Umbridge. Unlike her boss, she appeared to be energetic and eager, a folder tucked under her arm with its brown coloration clashing with her pink outfit. As he took his seat behind his desk, Albus Dumbledore tapped a small bell with his wand, producing a surprisingly loud chime.

"The emergency session of the Wizengamot has begun. Minister, if you would be so kind?"

Fudge flinched as everyone looked at him. "Erm… Azkaban's lost a couple of its prisoners?"

"A couple?" Augusta Longbottom rose majestically to her feet, her eyes almost aflame with rage. "A _couple_? Try _all_ of them!"

"Some didn't escape…" Fudge whined before cowering under Augusta's piercing glare.

"Only because they were killed _for not wanting to become Death Eaters_!" Augusta snarled.

"They weren't Death Eaters!" Fudge shouted, his face purpling with anger born of panic. " _You Know Who_ is dead! The Death Eaters are no more and most of them were under the _Imperious_ anyway!"

Augusta opened her mouth to shoot a reply back, but Sirius rose from his chair, one hand raised in a sign for her to stop.

"Shouting will not help." He stated. "Let us look at the facts. Peter Pettigrew has helped to perform a prison break at Azkaban. Pettigrew was one of the Dark Lord's most prized lieutenants, so who is to say he hasn't simply found someone able to _pretend_ to be the Dark Lord returned? With a convincing-enough puppet and a couple of allies to cover him, Pettigrew could get the Death Eaters reformed and dancing to his tune."

" _Jor-El is trying to track down Riddle, but things like Floo and Apparition are making it difficult. If we can convince people that He isn't truly back, they won't panic unless he publicly reveals himself and right now, I think he's trying to stay under the radar otherwise he'd have left a message at Azkaban."_ Remus sent to Harry. _"Play along."_

As Sirius sat down, Harry rose to his feet and everyone looked at him.

"I agree with my godfather… although this probably doesn't surprise most of you." He said, earning a ripple of relieved laughter. "If Mouldyshorts _has_ returned, surely his first act would be to try and strike at me since I was the one who took him down years ago? I haven't seen any sign of him, so it's very likely that it's just people playing on His reputation to panic everyone. I say we put the blame on Pettigrew where it belongs and increase the Auror budget so that they can bring this traitor to the Wizarding World to justice! I won't let that rat panic me… _We_ won't let that rat panic _us_! Right?"

Virtually every single member of the Wizengamot roared in approval and Fudge relaxed behind his desk.

"I move that we increase the Auror's budget to allow them to counter the schemes of that cowardly rat and his minions!" Harry continued at Remus' urging. "All agreed?"

Once again, the Wizengamot's approval was obvious and Harry gave Fudge a nod of acknowledgement.

"Minister, do you agree?"

"Wha… I… I agree. Absolutely." Fudge nodded, grabbing at the opportunity offered. "I'll have Madam Bones herself lead the hunt for Pettigrew!"

"She'll need permission to take whatever actions she needs without us micromanaging her if we want this threat to be ended." Harry prompted and Fudge nodded again.

"She'll have it! She'll have it!"

Harry sat down, hiding his smile of triumph and Sirius gave him a proud nod.


	29. Actions And Counters

"So, why were you so insistent that we downplay Mouldyshort's return? And by the way, I _love_ that name you gave him." Sirius asked as soon as he'd Apparated them to just outside The Pottery's grounds.

"Thanks and because telling the full truth would have been counterproductive." Harry sighed as they started walking up the driveway. "You saw how freaked out Fudge was, right? Well, Bagnold was there too."

"That bitch?" Sirius snarled, then he looked thoughtful. "Damn! She _does_ have a seat as a former Minister…"

"She was preparing something." Harry continued. "I couldn't really see much from the angle I was at, but she had a sheaf of notes and I caught the words _impeachment_ and _previous experience_."

"She was preparing to try and oust Fudge to get back into power?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded.

"That's what I think. Now, Fudge may be weak and spineless, but he _knows_ he's in trouble. He also knows I have blackmail material on him that could destroy him politically, even more so now that I've publicly spoken out for him. However, I'll be at Hogwarts so I need someone else to act as his handler. Someone who is willing to publicly say that they don't hold a grudge against him for his predecessor's illegal actions and congratulate him for overseeing a trial which included the use of _veritaserum_ …"

"I _hate_ politics." Sirius whined.

"You have Remus to guide you." Harry countered. "He can watch through the camera and whisper instructions into your ear. Heck, if you need more than that, I'm fairly sure Jor-El could create some contact lenses that'll project images that only you can see. It'd let you read an entire speech without seeming to need notes."

"That… could work." Sirius finally admitted. "I don't like it, but it could work."

"We need to peel Malfoy off him and you're the best bet… _if_ you can stop acting as a reckless playboy every chance you get."

"Agreed." Remus said as he stepped out of the front door of The Pottery. At Sirius' confused look, Remus tapped his ear to indicate that he was still wearing the earbud. "We need to do a charm offensive, Padfoot. The larger, the better."

"You two plan." Harry said as he stepped inside. "I'm heading back to Hogwarts."

Sirius grabbed Harry and pulled him into a hug.

"Take care, pup." He half-whispered before letting Harry go and Remus clapped Harry on his shoulder.

"We'll let you know what we've come up with." He offered.

"Thanks, Moony."

* * *

.

"Minister, are you alright?." Umbridge noted as Cornelius dropped into his chair with a sigh of relief.

"I am." Fudge agreed with a scowl. "I hate to admit it, but Potter and Black just saved my political career. Of course, I'll have to increase the Auror's budget quite a bit… Dolores?"

"Yes Minister?"

"Find out how much the Auror department was receiving at the end of the last war and have their budget adjusted to match, including inflation."

"Of course, sir." Dolores made a note. "Sir… you know that Lord Malfoy will object to this?"

"I know." Fudge growled. "But he's been encouraging me to switch money to the other departments and away from the Aurors. If he knew this was coming, he's had us place our wand in the bedroom before leading us into the garden. All this time I believed him about being under the _Imperious_ , but what if he was never freed from it? What if all his suggestions were the result of him being controlled? Maybe by Pettigrew…"

"That would make sense, sir." Dolores admitted. "Do you wish for him to be taken into protective custody?"

Fudge paused, looking conflicted, then shook his head almost unwillingly.

"No. At the moment, there isn't any actual _proof_ and I don't want to pull a Bagnold. If the press doesn't rip me apart, the courts will and I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard to get."

"Very good, sir."

Fudge nodded as he calmed down.

"Potter's almost certainly right. Pettigrew was a traitor and probably _You Know Who_ 's right-hand man for a lot of the last war… plus he was a member of the Marauders at Hogwarts. If anyone could set up a fake _You Know Who_ and get them to act as a leader, it'd be him. But who would the fake be? It has to be someone fairly powerful…"

"There's been no sign of Gilderoy Lockhart for quite some time." Dolores pointed out and Fudge blinked.

"Why would someone like Lockhart become a puppet Dark Lord? I mean, sure he's got a huge ego, loves being in the limelight and having everyone listen… to… him… Really? I… I guess he could be… Find out, Dolores. I want to know one way or the other by the end of next week."

"Of course, sir."

* * *

.

Neville was scowling at the book he was holding when Harry emerged from his trunk. Harry paused for a moment before swinging himself out of the trunk.

"Nev…?"

Neville slammed the book closed, causing Harry to jolt, then he leaned back and rubbed his eyes.

"Sorry, Harry. It's… _dammit_! It's the Lestranges. All three of them. You know my parents are in hospital… did I ever tell you why?"

Harry shook his head wordlessly and Neville leaned forwards.

"It was just after you killed Mouldyshorts… _heh_. Good name for him. Anyway, my parents were in hiding until word came out that he was dead, so they came out of hiding. But although _he_ was dead, not all his followers had been caught. My parents were tortured by the Lestranges who were seeking information on your location. They knew my mother was your godmother, you see. They thought that if they found you, they could use you somehow to bring _him_ back and my mother was the key to finding you, but she didn't tell them. They tortured her and my dad into insanity, but she kept you safe."

"I don't think she knew my location." Harry half-whispered. "I'd been placed in hiding by then. Only a few people knew where I was… my so-called relatives plus Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid."

Neville sagged. "I… didn't know that… But the Lestranges were still using the _crucio_ on them when the Aurors finally responded. They killed five of the Aurors before being captured and sent to Azkaban while I ended up being looked after by gran…"

Harry frowned. "Nev… how were your parents affected?"

"They're… they're not there any more." Neville leaned back, covering his eyes again. "They're alive and I think I can see… _flickers_ of them occasionally, but… mum sometimes gives me candy wrappers… it's been over a decade and they haven't improved…"

Harry tapped his watch and Jor-El's image appeared.

"Jor-El, start searching medical literature for…"

" _Already done, sir."_ Jor-El replied. _"Scans of patients in question are recommended as the provided verbal description suggests the issue is primarily psychological. Use of the_ Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm _to bypass mental barriers is current recommended diagnosis."_

Neville froze, then half-turned to look at the foot-tall image.

"What?"

"Oh hell." Harry groaned. "Nev, I think this means that you need to learn something that I've only ever told a single person before if we're to go through with this. Come on, let's get to The Pottery…"

"Why do I suddenly feel more worried than ever?" Neville asked as Harry opened his trunk again. "But if it brings my parents back, the Longbottom clan will owe you a debt we can never repay."

.

"…and Hermione knows as well?" Neville asked in a shocked voice, staring at the small stone which marked the grave of the stillborn child of the Potters.

"She does." Harry confirmed. "She said that it explained far more than _intentional accidental magic_."

"It does." Neville agreed, then he let out a short laugh. "It's hard to believe though…"

"How do you think _I_ felt when I found out?" Harry asked and Neville shook his head.

"I can't even begin to imagine. But Blood Adoption… that's an _old_ ritual. Oh, I've heard of it before, it's listed in the Longbottom Library and back when everyone thought I was a Squib,one of my relatives suggested to my Gran that I be set aside for a muggleborn orphan who could be blood-adopted into the family. However, at least one of the parents-to-be needs to give their blood knowingly for it to work and with _both_ of mine… yeah. I'm safe from that."

Harry reached out and put a reassuring hand on Neville's shoulder.

"I've got Jor-El building more interfaces so that he can connect both of your parents at once, as well as have you go in with them to help bring them back to reality. If you want me there, I will be, but if not…"

"Probably better if you are, you've already used that thing before." Neville finally decided.

"It does look very different inside." Harry agreed. "Of course, we're going to have to find a way of getting your parents here, and quietly."

"I… don't think Gran would help." Neville sighed. "She's given up on them ever being cured. The last Healer who came to her with a recommendation for a new course of treatment, she sent packing. No, she won't like it."

"Then we'll need to find a way to do it ourselves." Harry nodded before pausing. "Although, extracting two people from a hospital sounds almost like a prank… I think I can get my godfather to help us…"

* * *

.

"So, Peter, how does it feel to be a mastermind overseeing a massive scam?" Voldemort asked in an amused tone as he lowered his copy of The Daily Prophet onto the table.

"Ummm… I… I…" Peter stuttered and Voldemort laughed, picking up the paper again.

"As much as I hate to admit it, this is a truly _brilliant_ move on their part." He continued. "By claiming that you are faking my return, they've changed the entire paradigm in a way that I hadn't anticipated. If I try to go out and claim that I am indeed who I am, no-one will believe me… at least until I prove myself by firing spells at them and even then… Of course, they've phrased it very carefully so as to not state outright that I am a fraud, but very few will notice that. I hadn't expected Lord Black to have such an acute grasp of human psychology."

"My Lord… what do we _do_?" Peter almost squeaked. "Sirius is a skilled duelist…"

"Who lives in a house with Wards that have been recorded by the Ministry." Voldemort countered. "By now, he will have tweaked the Animagus portion to block you, but the main portion of the Wards will be unchanged, meaning that the weakness will still be there. All I need to do is collapse the Wards and burn down his home. Even if it doesn't kill him, doing it will make it clear to all that there is no place safe from me. After all, if the infamous Black Wards could be taken down so easily, then what about the Wards of those who haven't spent nearly as much money on them?"

"May I come too, My Lord?" Peter managed to grovel while still sitting upright and Voldemort nodded.

"Of course, Peter. In fact, should he escape the flames, I'll bind him so that you can dispose of him. Same with the werewolf. Once this is over, you will be the sole Marauder remaining."

"I… thank you, My Lord!" Peter simpered. "Thank you!"

"Think nothing of it, my loyal assistant." Voldemort said magnanimously with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You are, after all, one of my most valued operatives. As such, you deserve to be rewarded."

"Thank you, My Lord." Peter repeated, grinning with dark glee.

"I think, however, that it should be a true assault." Voldemort mused. "The Giants are still deciding whether to accept my offer of an alliance, but the Vampires are almost ready to agree to my offer. By using this to show them my power, it will convince them that I am indeed worthy of their obedience."

"A brilliant plan, My Lord!" Pettigrew fawned.

"I know, my Inquisitor. I know. Now go and prepare my battle robes."

Peter scurried out of the room and Voldemort turned slightly to look at the man standing in the corner.

"Nott, I have a task for you. There's a certain pair of patients at St Mungo's that I would quite like to meet… I have a ritual or two that I need to perform and using them for it would be quite satisfying on many levels."

Nott bowed deeply and Voldemort wordlessly _summoned_ a folder to his hand before holding it out to Nott.

"Here are your targets, Nott. Do try to do it subtly, I'd prefer it if no-one noticed that they were gone for as long as possible…"


	30. Mission Improbable

"So, let me get this straight." Sirius frowned. "You want Moony and me to infiltrate St Mungo's, extract young Longbottom's parents and bring them here so that Jor-El can try to heal them?"

Harry nodded and Sirius' stoic demeanor was replaced with a grin.

"I think we can do that, although we may need a little help."

At Harry's quizzical expression, Remus sighed. "It's best that you don't ask, pup. What you don't know, you can't be made to reveal."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Got it. You have the comm-watches?"

Both Sirius and Remus slid their left sleeves up slightly to reveal the devices in question and Harry noted with some humor that Sirius had set his to digital while Remus had the classic analogue.

"You head back to Hogwarts." Sirius added, ruffling Harry's hair. "We'll get the Longbottoms out and let Jor-El work his stuff on them. "Off you go."

"Remember, low profile." Harry shot back at him as he left and Sirius chuckled.

"It's fine. Jor-El? We may need to borrow a shuttle for this."

"Shuttle?" Remus asked in confusion. "What's a shuttle? Sirius, what are you planning?"

.

"The Dark Lord wants the Longbottoms for a ritual and to prove to the public that it's really him, since no-one else would be so bold." Nott stated to the four other Wizards in his study. "We are going to get them for him. Gregor, you'll need to take down the _Portkey_ ward."

"Not a problem." The swarthy wizard replied without looking up from the pages that he was perusing. "With these plans, I can shut them down and then reactivate them after without anyone knowing that anything has happened."

"Kayden, you have the portkeys?"

Kayden held up a pair of necklaces and Nott gave an approving nod.

"Grabthar, Lindstrom, we need an _accident_ in Diagon to cause a rush to provide cover for Kayden. It _needs_ to look like an _actual_ accident."

"We got this." The skinny wizard stated while his taller, bulkier companion nodded. "The Apothecary will provide what we need, the owner's not known for keeping things clean, so we can easily set something up."

"Good." Nott said approvingly. "Gregor, how long will you need for the wards?"

"With the Schema, about twenty minutes." Gregor replied, still perusing the documents.

"You'll have thirty, just to be on the safe side." Nott decided. "Lindstrom, how long will it take you to set up your thing?"

"Less than ten minutes." The skinny wizard replied. "Fifteen at the outside. Of course, it'll take at least another ten minutes for the emergency services to get into gear… unless someone is ready to alert them… that'll take it down to five minutes."

"It'll take me at least five minutes, probably ten or so to get to the Longbottoms." Kayden added.

"That's twenty-five minutes… Lindstrom, you'll start setting up your event ten minutes after Gregor starts. Kayden, go in with the rush and get to the Longbottoms. By the time you arrive, the ward should be down, so just Portkey them out and scarper."

Nott paused and looked round. "The Dark Lord will be quite angry if we fail, gentlemen. Let's not fail."

He looked round at them and gave a sharp nod.

"Diagon will be busiest just after noon. Therefore, that is when the operation will start. Any questions? No? Good."

.

"…and since St Mungo's is generally busiest around lunchtime, that's when we'll go." Sirius said. " _Levicorpus_ will allow us to get them onto the roof, where the shuttle will pick us up and fly us to the Pottery. The fake bodies Jor-El's made will be used to cover for our actions."

Remus nodded, looking at the two marbles that were the transfigured lifelike dummies that they were going to replace the Longbottoms with.

"It's a good plan, but what's a shuttle?"

"You'll see." Sirius grinned. "It's cool."

"Won't the muggles see it?"

"Nope." Sirius' grin was wider. "It's invisible!"

"Really?"

Sirius nodded and Remus sighed.

"Alright. Any idea how we'll get through, though?"

"Well, you could always take a broomstick to the roof and I'll head in, telling them I need to talk to my Healer about my nutrition potions." Sirius shrugged, then he held up a pile of silvery fabric. "And recognize this?"

"James' cloak!" Remus gasped.

"Yep, Prongslet loaned it to me for this."

"If this shuttle thing really exists and can do as you say, this might work." Remus mused, then he chuckled. "You coming up with a plan that can work. How… unexpected."

"Oy!"

"But I think it would be better to avid complication, so we'll go in together..."

* * *

.

"Anything else we need, love?" Arthur Weasley asked and Molly looked at the list in her hand.

"Well, we could do with a fresh batch of Pepper-Up Potion since we're almost out, so I think the Apothecary to pick up a few of the ingredients would be a good idea."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Which ones?"

"Well, the Mandrakes in the small greenhouse aren't mature enough yet, so a few leaves and some Bicorn Horn would be good… only a few leaves, I'll make a bigger batch once the Mandrakes are fully grown. By then, Poppy will be wanting some, so that'll be a few extra knuts for us."

The duo started to make their way towards the Apothecary.

"I hope that Ginny's doing alright." Molly fretted as they made their way down the crowded street. "And that Ron's keeping up with his coursewo-"

Molly's comment was cut off as the Apothecary suddenly exploded, sending splinters of wood and shards of glass scything through the lunchtime crowd. Molly instantly dropped her bags and her wand seemed to materialize in her hand.

"Arthur! Call St Mungo's!" She snapped as she raced forwards, her wand already glowing as she prepared a healing spell. Several of the other witches and wizards who hadn't been caught in the explosion were also moving to help, but most were just staring or running away screaming. Arthur didn't pause, but instead turned and sprinted down the Alley, a look of determination on his face as he headed for the Leaky Cauldron and the Floo contained therein. Shoving his way through, he grabbed at the bowl of Floo powder.

"St Mungo's!" He shouted, diving through as soon as the flames changed color.

.

"Good work." Lindstrom smirked as he and his larger friend watched the chaos from the shelter of a small alleyway. "Who knew that powdered fairy wings and Horklump juice would create such a fantastic display."

Grabthar simply grunted in agreement.

"And with the delay caused by the Horklump juice having to soak the powdered wings first… no-one will connect us with that."

Another grunt, this one a bit more complex, was the reply to Lindstrom's comment and the smaller wizard nodded.

"You're right. The longer we remain, the less likely we are to remain unsuspected. Come, my good fellow, let us depart back to the Manor to celebrate the successful completion of our part of the plan."

Grabthar shook his head and made a groaning sound.

"Well… you could be right. Let's go."

The duo vanished down the alley, leaving only the echoes of the screams of the wounded and dying in their wake.

.

Sirius and Remus emerged from the Floo and walked across the entrance foyer with the strides of those who knew exactly what they were doing and were fully authorized to do it. No-one even gave them a second look as they walked to the lift, where the lift-wizard looked at them.

"Fourth floor, please." Sirius stated and the wizard nodded as he pulled on a lever.

"Right you are, gentlemen." He said and Remus blinked at the sight of Arthur Weasley almost erupting from the Floo and running straight to the Reception Desk as the lift doors closed, blocking his view.

"I wonder what Arthur's doing here?" He mused to himself as the lift started to rise.

.

Clad not in wizarding robes but a long duster, jeans and a shirt, Kayden checked his pocket watch again. Looking round at the milling crowds of Muggles that he was using as cover (and whom he couldn't wait to start hunting under the leadership of Lord Voldemort… those disgusting parodies of Wizardkind had no _right_ to live), he started to drift towards the concealed entrance to St Mungo's, the ironically named false store _Purge and Dowse_. Pausing in the entryway, he looked at the manikin standing just the other side of the glass.

"Visiting a friend."

The manikin nodded and Kayden stepped through the no-longer-solid door. On the other side was the Reception area, already bursting into life as the Healers reacted to the shouting of a red-headed man by grabbing bags being thrown to them by the Welcome Witch and racing for the Floo.

Edging round the frantic crowds, Kayden made his way to the stairs and slipped through the swinging doors. Pacing himself, he jogged up the deserted flights, quickly reaching the fourth floor in no more than two-dozen steps thanks to the Hogwarts-inspired spells that permeated the stairwell.

Sidling through the door, he looked round, then he felt the slight shiver that marked the deactivation of the Portkey Ward.

"Well done, Gregor." He smirked, then he ducked back into the stairwell as the lift chimed.

.

"Fourth floor, gentlemen." The aged lift-wizard said as the doors opened.

"Thank you." Remus said politely as he and Sirius exited. "Okay, you distract the Healer if he's around, I'll move them to the fire escape and put the decoys in place."

Sirius nodded as he opened the door, then he paused, a huge grin on his face.

"Mirrie?"

The female Healer turned and beamed at Sirius.

"Siri! I heard that you'd been found innocent!"

Sirius bounded over and hugged the shorter witch. "It's been too long! how are you? Are you still single? Did you ever get the hang of plant identification? Can I take you out for dinner… and maybe breakfast?"

"Still the horn-dog, I see." Mirian giggled from Sirius' arms. "My shift ends in a few hours, so dinner would be nice and yes, I'm still single."

"Not found anyone who could measure up to me?" Sirius preened as Remus took advantage of the distraction to pull the curtains shielding the last two beds from view. "Well, perhaps I can demonstrate what I've learned since Hogwarts."

Mirian blushed and stepped back to give Sirius a small shoulder-shove. "You have a one-track mind. Don't you ever stop joking around?"

"What do you mean?" Black asked, a hurt expression on his face. "I'm always _Sirius_!"

Mirian shook her head as she laughed.

.

Remus paid no attention to his friend's flirting with one of his former girlfriends as he quickly levitated Frank and Alice Longbottom onto the chairs beside their beds, then placed the marbles in their places, cancelling the transfigurations on them in order to revert them into the apparently-living decoys. The texture of light changed and Remus looked up, seeing a hatch open up in mid-air centimeters away from the window. Taking it as his cue, he opened the window in preparation for transferring Frank and Alice into the waiting invisible shuttle outside.

.

Kayden peeped through the slightly-ajar door and his lip curled as he saw Sirius Black talking to the Healer. Palming his wand, he took several deep breaths, then he flung the door open.

" _Depulso! Bombarda!_ "

The first spell caught the duo by surprise, flinging them backwards and causing his second spell to _just_ miss them, travelling the length of the ward and impacting on the back wall. The Healer impacted against one of the beds and lay still but Black rolled to his feet, his wand already in his hand while a second man appeared from where the Longbottoms were being kept.

" _Confundo! Bombarda! Expelliarmus!_ " Kayden launched the spells as rapidly as he could, jumping sideways to throw off the return fire, then a white flash lit the room and both men fell.

"Looks like we arrived just in time." Lindstrom said as he stepped into the room. "Use the Portkeys while I obliviate the last few minutes from these two, then we can get out of here."

Kayden nodded gratefully and pulled the necklaces out of his pocket as he ran towards the beds where his two targets lay. It was merely the work of a moment before the necklaces were in place and Kayden spoke the activation phrase.

"Trueborn victory."

The pair of insensate magicals seemed to turn and shrink in an eye-twisting blur and Kayden nodded.

"Done!"

"As are we." Lindsorm stated. "Come, let us depart, lest they awaken before we can make our escape."

Lying behind one of the beds, Remus watched them depart, grateful for the spell-resistance that being a werewolf granted.


	31. Virtual Healing

"Where are they?!" Augusta Longbottom demanded as she almost erupted from the Floo. "Black told me that they were here!"

" _Welcome to The Pottery-_ " Jor-El began, only to be interrupted by her.

"Where! Are! My! Son! And! Daughter! In! Law?!"

" _They are currently safe, Regent Longbottom._ " Jor-El replied calmly. " _Would you care to see them?_ "

"Of course I want to!" Augusta snarled. "Why do you think I came here?"

" _Very well, Regent Longbottom._ " Jor-El stated, then a bright light flashed.

.

"Urgh, what happened?" Augusta asked as she opened her eyes, then she blinked and looked around. "And where _am_ I?"

"Welcome to the Virtual World, Regent Longbottom." A familiar voice said and Augusta half-turned to see a surprisingly solid Jor-El looking down at her, a politely attentive expression on his face.

"Virtual… world?" Augusta slowly sat up and swung her legs off the odd bed she was lying on. "As in…?"

"A world that does not truly exist, somewhat similar in concept to a mindscape." Jor-El explained as he motioned for her to follow him. "Your son and daughter-in-law have awakened, although it will be several days before their bodies are fully healed and their mental processes are stable enough to allow them to leave this place."

"How are they?" Augusta asked, looking round at the oddly monochromatic buildings and illuminated lines that adorned them.

"With the assistance of the neurological-support programs, they are currently awake and fully aware, although removing them from here before their neural pathways stabilise will cause them to relapse."

Augusta simply gave Jor-El a long glance, then paused as he stopped beside a door.

"They await you." He said simply as the door seemed to break into glowing squares that shrank and vanished in less time than it took to blink. Augusta slowly stepped through and her eyes filled with tears of joy.

"Frank! Alice!"

"Mother!" Her son was the first to reach her, catching her in a hug which her daughter-in-law joined.

* * *

.

"These are the most incredible fakes that I have ever seen." Voldemort mused as he waved his wand above one of the bodies before him. "Homunculi which have been created by means that I could not even hope to guess at."

The five wizards behind him looked nervous and Voldemort turned to give them a benevolent smile.

"Do not be concerned, I do not hold you responsible for the fact that someone managed to get the Longbottoms out before you could get there. Why, the amount of preparation this must have taken proves that it was not your fault in the slightest, it just so happened that their plan and mine overlapped."

The quintet seemed to sag in relief without actually moving.

"Lindstrom, I must congratulate you in particular for your decision to not kill Lord Black." Voldemort continued. "Should Potter have gained the Black Lordship and a reason to use its power to the fullest, he could have done an incredible amount of damage to our cause."

"Thank you, My Lord." Lindstrom bowed.

"For now, place these in storage so that once our victory is attained, I can return to examine them further." Voldemort ordered and Grabthar lumbered forwards, effortlessly picking them up and slinging the limp bodies over his shoulders. "Excellent. Gregor, the wards were re-activated?"

"They were, My Lord."

"Then the only evidence that they have is the absence of the Longbottoms, which they will undoubtedly seek to conceal, so I do not believe any of you need fear a visit from the Aurors. Gentlemen, you have proved yourselves to be more than competant and so, I give you my thanks. the fact that you did not manage to collect the true Longbottoms for me was in no way your fault."

"You are most gracious, My Lord." Kayden replied.

"There is a buffet set out in the dining hall, help yourselves to as much as you wish." Voldemort nodded to them as Grabthar returned. "For now, though, I have some research I need to do. You may go, and take my thanks with you."

The five filed out of the room, closing the door behind them and once the door was closed, Voldemort's face turned into a snarl.

"Damn you, Black!" He growled, gripping his wand so tightly that sparks dribbled out of the end, leaving burn marks in the carpet. "Again you thwart my schemes!"

A knock on the door caused him to inhale sharply, replacing his scowl with a benevolent smile.

"Enter!"

The door opened and Pettigrew crept in.

"Ah, welcome back, my Inquisitor. Are we ready for the attack on your former ally's house?"

Peter nodded with a triumphant smirk.

"Excellent. then let us depart."

* * *

.

"I can't believe that I got _Obliviated_." Sirius grumbled as he held a mug of hot tea. Beside him, Mirian Trout nodded in agreement while on the other side of the room, Remus Lupin and Amelia Bones were having a very intense discussion behind a privacy ward. Finally, Amelia gave a jerky nod and stalked off, leaving Remus looking exhausted but triumphant as he dispelled the charm.

"Well?" Sirius asked curiously. "You do know that I don't actually remember anything that happened today, right?"

Mirian gave Remus a worried look and the werewolf looked thoughtful for a long moment.

"Alright. Mirian, Sirius and I were sent to extract the Longbottoms because we had information about the kidnapping. You helped to replace them with the golems that the attackers took, the Longbottoms are currently safe at The Pottery. harry has a pair of House Elves, so they're getting good treatment."

Sirius and Mirian nodded in understanding.

"Since Harry has a Guardian Basilisk, no-one's going to get in to grab them." Remus added and Mirian inhaled sharply.

"He does? I thought that it was just a tall story!"

"Nope, he has a Basilisk who can speak english and can control her gaze." Sirius almost chirped. "She's got quite a sense of humor too."

Mirian stared at Remus, who nodded in confirmation.

"…wow."

"However, we do need to get back." Remus noted and Sirius promptly gulped down the last part of his drink, then paused, staring at his wrist. Pulling up his sleeve, he tapped the device he was wearing on his wrist.

"What is it, Jorel?"

" _Sir, a group of wizards are currently attacking Grimnauld Place and are dismantling the Wards protecting it. At the current rate, the Wards will fall in three minutes."_

Sirius' eyes widened. "What? But… Jorel! Tell Dobby and Kreacher to move the Black Library to The Pottery! I want every single book where it's safe, some of them are too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands!"

" _Your command has been relayed, sir, and I have taken the liberty of assigning Gilligan and Herriet to assist. The library will be fully relocated in approximately one minute. What other orders do you wish to give?_ "

Sirius paused for a moment, then gave a sharp nod.

"Destroy the switching room linking to the flat. Once that's done, start moving my stuff to The Pottery and if there's time after that, move the portraits, tapestries and other furniture to the Vault. As soon as the Wards fall, I want the elves out of there! I don't care how much stuff is left behind, I don't want any of them hurt!"

" _Very good, sir. The orders have been relayed._ "

"Mirian, I'm sorry, but I _need_ to go." Sirius apologised as he rose from his seat, pausing to give Mirian a kiss on her cheek. "Remus, we need to get to Harry's place."

Remus paused for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

"Dinner tomorrow is still on!" Sirius called as he backed away from the table. "Of course, it'll be at Harry's place, but since I have a suite there and there are several guest bedrooms, it'll be fine! I'll come to escort you when you finish your shift!"

.

Voldemort strode through the wreckage of what had been the front door and looked around curiously.

"Odd." He mused. "I thought that Black would have more furniture than this. _Homenum Revelio_."

Nothing happened and Voldemort looked slightly confused.

"How unexpected, I would have expected Black to have returned here to try and work out what had happened to him. _Bombarda_."

The Floo shattered and Voldemort nodded in satisfaction.

"Inquisitor, let us claim the infamous Black Library for our cause."

"It's this way, My Lord." Peter scrambled up the stairs, holding his wand ready to deflect any attacks. Reaching the top, he opened a door, then froze as Voldemort waved for his other followers to check through the house.

"My Lord!"

The near-panic in Peter's voice caught Voldemort's attention and he used the special greaves, belt and bracers he wore under his robes to fly up the stairs, touching down just beside Peter.

"What seems to be the…? Oh."

The empty shelves of the library almost seemed to mock them and Voldemort fired an area-effect illusion-dispelling spell into the library, but the shelves remained empty.

"This is quite annoying." He finally said, his voice demonstrating the apparent calm of one who was actually enraged. "Between the old fool finding Salazar's library in the Chamber and now the Black Library gone to who-knows-where… Peter, if you were that mangy mongrel and you wanted to keep something safe, where would you put it?"

"Probably Gringotts, My lord." Peter replied, then he frowned. "Or the Pottery, now it's been rebuilt."

"That would make sense." Voldemort agreed. "Potter has two House Elves, as does Black, between them, they could easily have moved the entire library and more while we were still dismantling the Wards. Very well, let us claim whatever remains and then leave, destroying this place as we do so."

"Yes, My Lord!"

* * *

.

"Sirius! Sirius?"

"In here, Moony!" Sirius called back as he stood staring at the piles of trunks filling nine-tenths of his suite. "I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight, the elves did a far better job than I expected."

"How does them doing a good job mean that… oh." Remus trailed off as he appeared in the door and took in the solid block of trunks and storage crates. "Oh my. You certainly have a lot of stuff, don't you?"

"Fortunately, yes." Sirius agreed, his eyes still fixed on his collected items. "Jor-El, what's the status of my old house?"

" _On fire, sir._ " Jor-El replied. " _I have alerted the fire department._ "

"You going to rebuild?" Remus asked and Sirius shook his head.

"No, still have too many bad memories of that place. I think I'll buy some land nearby and have a new mansion built, one with a deep basement and… Remus, I need you to find out who owns the land behind the Pottery and see if you can buy it."

Remus froze for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright, Padfoot. What sort of mansion do you want?"

"I think I'll have Jor-El help me design it." Sirius mused. "Something apparently smaller than this place, though. I don't want to overshadow my dogson."

Remus gave Sirius a sideways look, then shook his head. "You and your addiction to dog-puns."

"Hey, I'm being _Sirius_!"

Remus face-palmed.

.

Bellatrix squealed in joy as she saw how her room in Riddle Manor had been redecorated.

"I hope you like it." Voldemort said, smiling at how she had spontaneously seemed to revert to being a young girl.

"I _love_ it!" Bellatrix sang as she dived onto the bed and rolled over, then scrambled off it and opened the wardrobe. "Yay! All my old clothes are here! And Mr Snugglyslaughter!"

Voldemort's eyebrows shot up at that last statement, then his smile returned as Bellatrix pulled out a Cerberus Plushie.

"Mummy spelled him for me." Bellatrix giggled as she hugged it. "If anyone without magic tries to hold him, he'll attack and attack and attack! Isn't that just amazing?"

"Your mother certainly had quite the sense of humor." Voldemort replied. "While you get re-acquainted with your belongings, I've got a meeting to get to. I'll see you at dinner."

Bellatrix nodded, but most of her attention was on her toy chest. As Voldemort walked down the landing, he heard her voice almost squeeing in joy.

"Yay! My Model Muggle Torture Chamber is here! And the muggle victim's fully charged so I can eviscerate him and chop him up and then restore him so I can do it again and again and _again_ …"


	32. Reunion

The Great Hall went absolutely silent as three people entered. In the lead was Augusta Longbottom, looking happier and more relaxed than almost anyone in the Hall could remember, ut it was the other two people who grabbed everyone's attention.

At the Teacher's table, several of the staff dropped their cutlery in shock, as did a certain Ravenclaw.

"Albus." Augusta said into the silence. "I'm afraid that my grandson's going to be missing the rest of the day. I hope you understand."

"Of… of course…" Albus managed as Neville finally overcame the shock that had held him immobile and rose slowly from his seat.

"…mum …dad?"

"Hello, Neville." Frank smiled, tears leaking from his eyes. "You've grown."

Neville stumbled forwards and an instant later, he was embracing both his parents as strongly as he could. Augusta watched them for a long moment, then she turned back to face the silent watchers.

"Neville will be back by Monday, we all have a great deal of catching-up to do. However, I do have an announcement. Lord Potter, the House of Longbottom intends to swear Oath of Alliance on this day for the actions of your House, although the formal announcement will have to wait. From this day forth, though, we will be there when you need aid."

Harry stood up and bowed.

"On behalf of House Potter, I accept the Oath of Alliance with gratitude and shall strive to be worthy of it."

Augusta nodded to him in a way that evoked a formal bow, then turned to where her son and daughter-in-law were still hugging her grandson. Gliding over to them, she spoke quietly to them and then they withdrew from the hall, leaving the watchers to ask each other what had happened.

"So." Harry said to Hermione, who was smiling broadly while dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Neville will need notes on Transfiguration and Astronomy."

Hermione nodded. "I'll copy them for him tomorrow."

.

"Those were the Longbottoms." Draco stated, far more calmly than he felt. "The ones my aunt Bellatrix tortured into insanity."

"How in Merlin's name are they healed?" Millicent muttered almost to herself and Draco stroked his chin in thought.

"Potter." He finally decided. "He must have more than just that wandless magic as part of his Family Magic. Some sort of Mind-healing ability as well, perhaps. However, that leads to a new problem, just _when_ did he do that? My aunt spent several _hours_ torturing them with the _Cruciatus_ and other spells, even if the physical damage was healed, it should have taken a while to fix their minds…"

"Perhaps it was done by someone that Potter knows?" Blaize Zabini offered diffidently. "He's inherited that odd wandless magic, what if his family made contact with other unWanded magic-users?"

Draco opened his mouth to refute the idea, then paused.

"You… could be right." He finally admitted. "But who? I wouldn't even know where to start looking… I'll write to my father. With his resources, he'll have a good chance of finding out who it is… and maybe bringing them onto _our_ side…"

Draco picked up his fork and scooped up some of the potato on his plate.

He would send the letter off later.

Once he had worked out what to say, of course.

* * *

.

_**Longbottoms Cured!  
** _ _By_ _Melanie Flitterwicket_

_Yes, my wonderful readers, the headline is indeed true. The  
_ _Longbottoms, the two final victims of that terrible war which  
_ _threatened to sunder our magnificent civilization apart,once  
_ _more walk among us!_

_We all remember how the fugitive Bellatrix Lestrange was  
_ _the one who tortured them using the Cruciatus Curse only a  
_ _few days after the demise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,  
_ _inflicting pain upon them until they were driven insane and  
_ _imprisoned within their own minds, unreachable by even the  
_ _most skilled Legilimens and not responding to any treatment  
_ _that the professional Healers at St. Mungo's could devise for  
_ _them._

_However, this tearjerking situation was dramatically shown to  
_ _no longer be the case when Frank and Alice Longbottom, along  
_ _with Dame (and now former Regent) Augusta Longbottom, let  
_ _everyone know of their healing by walking into Hogwarts and  
_ _leaving again after a tearful reunion with their son, Neville._

_The family then departed, together once more, as the students  
_ _and teachers of Hogwarts watched in amazement…_

.

The howl of fury and rage echoed through the Riddle Manor and Voldemort looked up from his own copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Peter, perhaps you should make yourself scarce." He suggested and Peter nodded before transforming into his animal form and vanishing through a small hole in the skirting board. Even as his tail vanished, the doors were slammed open and Bellatrix charged through, he wand emitting sparks and the occasional flame as she gripped it in a white-knuckled hand.

"How could they be healed?" She screeched, her eyes wild and glinting with a mixture of rage and insanity. "I _crucio_ 'd them to within an inch of their lives, then I scrambled their brains with _Confundo_ 's and _Obliviate_ 's! How could they have recovered? How?!"

"Bellatrix! Control yourself!" Voldemort barked and Bellatrix instantly went from wrathful rage to quiet submissiveness.

"Yes, My Master." She whispered and Voldemort motioned to one of the chairs at the table, a chair which had been taken from Grimnauld Place prior to its destruction.

"Be seated." He ordered as he folded up his paper, placing it in front of him. When he looked up, Bellatrix was sat quietly, her eyes lowered.

"My dear, I understand your anger." He said soothingly and Bellatrix looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I understand just how truly aggravating it is when someone undoes one of your greatest feats and makes it look easy. When the time comes, I shall have the Longbottoms, all _four_ of them, captured and placed in the dungeons for you to use as you wish."

Bellatrix brightened up and Voldemort held up a warning hand.

"Before you can do that, though, we need to attain our rightful position, at the apex of society. For that, my dear, I need you to be at the top of your game, ready to carry out my orders without fear or hesitation. Can you put aside your anger at the Longbottoms for now, so that it will not interfere with the tasks which must be completed to shape the future as we desire?"

"Yes, My Master!" Bellatrix nodded.

"Excellent, my dear." Voldemort almost purred, reaching out to cup her face with one hand. "You are my dagger, my dear, and I wish for you to be as sharp as possible, so that when I wield you, all will fall before you."

"Yes, My Master!" Bellatrix breathed eagerly. "As you wish!"

.

"My Lord…" Lucius said nervously after Bellatrix had almost floated past him as he entered the dining hall. "The plans you are setting in place, how long before we actually act?"

"Soon, Lucius, soon." Voldemort stated. "The death of Potter shall be the signal for our forces to rise and he will die on the day of his final Quidditch match. After all, I see no reason not to let him exhaust himself before we pounce. Now that I have the cabinet I needed repaired, a cabinet that will allow us to bypass Hogwart's Wards without the need to let them know that we can collapse their defenses at any time we wish. Our allies will force those who would act against us to retreat to Hogwarts where they will believe themselves to be safe, whereas they will be placing themselves in a trap we can spring at the time of our choosing."

"That's brilliant, My Lord!" Lucius said admiringly and Voldemort nodded.

"I know, Lucius. I know."

* * *

.

Neville almost bounced as he entered Hogwarts to find Harry and Hermione waiting for him.

"Welcome back, Nev." Harry grinned. "Good timing, you've got just enough time to grab a snack if you need one and dump your things in our room, then it's time for Potions."

"A snack would be good, but I don't need to drop anything off." Neville replied as Harry and Hermione flanked him, letting him lead them towards the kitchens.

"From the smile, I assume the weekend went well?" Harry probed and Neville nodded, then paused to grab Harry and hug him.

"Thank you!" He whispered.

"Your welcome, but… air?"

Neville let go and Harry took several deep breaths, prompting Hermione to roll her eyes, then they resumed their interrupted journey.

"How are your parents adjusting?" Hermione asked. "I mean, they did miss an entire decade. From their viewpoint, you went from being a baby to how you are now almost overnight… or so…"

"They had quite an argument with my great-uncle." Neville smirked. "They also told my gran off for trying to hobble me with an unmatched wand… thanks again for that, Harry, by the way."

"Anything for a friend." Harry waved it off and Neville looked at him for a moment before continuing.

"Anyway, dad's going to reclaim his seat at the next Wizengamot meeting and gran's happy about that, she doesn't like the constant political backstabbing there. Mum's contacting all her old friends, but neither of them are going to return to being Aurors. I'm not really sure what they're planning, at the moment they're just happy to be back."

"And how are _you_ coping?" Hermione asked. "You've just got your parents back."

"I know and… I just _don't_ know." Neville shook his head in an attempt to force his thoughts into order. "They're back, they're no longer just sat motionless in St Mungo's but… but…"

"You had an image of what they would be like, and they're not?" Hermione's question was gentle and Neville gave her a thankful look.

"That's right. All I really had to go on were Gran's occasional stories and how she described them doesn't seem to be how they are! Dad… Dad likes to brew potions. He's nowhere near Potions Master levels, but he's fairly good, but I had no clue that he did things like that and mum… mum likes to knit. Not using magic, just… just knit. She says it helps with wand control."

"I can see that." Hermione agreed.

"But… but gran never mentioned it!" Neville complained. "They're my parents and I love them, but at the same time it's like a pair of complete strangers have come into my life and… and I just have no idea how I should react."

The trio continued in silence for a while as they walked down towards the kitchens, then Harry spoke.

"Nev, did you tell them about your wardrobe?"

"What?" Neville asked. "Um, why?"

"Just after Sirius and Remus got your parents to safety, Sirius' house was attacked. The attackers must have known exactly what wards were set up since they got through in a matter of minutes and those were top-of-the-line wards, augmented with several that the Blacks created. If the people who attacked my godfather decide to attack your parents…"

Harry trailed off and Neville stared at him.

"Do… do you think that'll happen?"

"Do you think it _can't_?" Harry countered. "Nev, at least tell your parents… in fact, call your gran and have her bring your parents into the conversation so you can tell them all at once. A secure exit is one of the best tactical assets you can have if you're going to be attacked and with Bellatrix on the loose…"

"Crap!" Neville cursed. "You're right, Harry. I'll call them during lunchtime… I may need to take it at the kitchens since my gran might be irritated with me for not telling her about the wardrobe earlier."

.

Theodore Nott looked around, then pulled a small object out of his pocket. Placing it just beside the disused Broom Lockers, he tapped it with his wand, causing it to expand, revealing it to be a cabinet made of dark wood. Opening it, he put a matching pair of Exploding Snap cards into it and closed it. After counting off a full minute, he opened the cupboard again and extracted a small bag that hadn't been there before. Glancing into it, he grinned.

"Easiest twenty Galleons I ever made." He smirked before leaving the corridor, heading for his next lesson. Behind him, the cabinet remained in the shadowed nook, easy to miss by all but the most astute observers.


	33. Gatherings

Harry walked to the table placed at the end of the room and poured himself a glass of water as behind him, the others finished their final stretches. After over half a year of instruction, most of the others could do the first few _katas_ of _Torquasm Rao_ almost perfectly and the results showed.

"Can you pour me a glass too?" Flitwick asked and Harry handed his untasted water to the Dueling Master before pouring another glass for himself.

"Uncle Fil, did I really see Professor Snape watching from the doorway?" Harry asked after taking a sip and Filius chuckled.

"Oh my, yes. Since there are several Gryffindors here, the traditional rivalry between the Lions and Snakes means that you won't get any Slytherins joining now that the Gryffindors have had a head start. However, not a single one of those here are in the lower half of the year and in fact virtually all are in the top quarter, so you can see why Severus was intrigued."

Harry smiled as he watched a quartet of red-heads moving across the room to speak to a fifth. "I wonder how Ginny managed to persuade her brothers to join in…"

"They probably saw how much she was improving at Quidditch and decided that they wanted some." Neville joked as he ambled up to them. Harry promptly poured another glass of water, which Neville accepted gratefully.

"Nev, you up for a display?"

Nev gave him a long look, then slowly smiled. "Competitive? Rules?"

"Pin to win, no gouging or groin strikes, try to avoid breaking bones. Sound alright?"

Neville nodded as he took another sip, then put the glass down. "Professor, would you referee?"

"Oh my, yes!" Flitwick almost bounced ahead of them. "This will be exciting! Everyone move back!"

Harry and Neville took positions a few paces apart as Flitwick waved his wand, muttering under his breath, then he gave a firm nod.

"I've applied a reactive cushioning charm to stop you being hurt if you get thrown too hard, but otherwise it'll be just like a proper floor. Okay?"

Both boys nodded as the room quietened and Flitwick raised his hand.

"And… Go!"

Harry darted forwards and delivered a sharp jab at Neville, only for the slightly taller boy to almost lazily deflect it. The return punch was deceptively slow, but as Harry blocked it, he noted that it would have staggered almost anyone else. The second punch, a backhand strengthened by a spin, barely missed his head as he jolted back, then Nevelle delivered a third deceptive punch which transitioned into a grab. Harry felt himself being hurled into the air as Neville rolled backwards, using his feet to launch Harry upwards. As he descended, Harry managed to turn his dive into a roll that brought him straight back to his feet.

Refusing to let Neville dictate the pacing of the fight, Harry ducked in, unleashing a leg-sweep that Neville dodged, then using his advance to deliver a high kick that Neville managed to block with both of his forearms. As Neville tried to grab his leg, Harry pulled his foot back, then used the momentum to do a spinning leg-sweep that caught Neville by surprise, sending him to the floor. As Harry had done earlier, though, Neville turned it into a roll, flipping back up into a defensive stance, then wading back in.

Harry had to retreat in the face of Neville's stream of punches. Every step Neville took marked a powerful strike, but between those were feints, jabs and the occasional hooked punch. Finally, his patience was rewarded and Neville extended just a fraction of an inch too much, allowing Harry to put him in a wrist lock, dropping him to his knees as he applied pressure.

"You win!" Neville gasped and Harry slowly released his grip, careful not to do it too quickly and risk harming his friend. As Neville stood back up, they looked round at their audience, noting how most of them seemed to be wearing expressions of shock.

"And that," Harry couldn't resist stating, "Is why _Torquasm Rao_ is a useful thing to learn."

Flitwick nodded so hard in approval that Harry was almost surprised that his head didn't fall off.

* * *

.

The sudden squealing of a cow being killed almost seemed to rip through the mansion and Lucius flinched.

"Lucius, you've heard far worse than a cow being dismantled by giants." Voldemort gently scolded.

"Yes, My Lord, but… normally _I'm_ one of the ones causing the screams…"

Voldemort nodded absently as he made a few notes on a pad of paper.

"How are my rescued followers, Lucius?"

"Training to regain their full strength, My Lord." Lucius replied, eager to show that he was on top of the situation. "Another week of potions and they'll be as good as they were before…"

He trailed off and Voldemort smirked slightly.

"Before my unfortunate, albeit temporary demise. That's good to hear. The Giants are doing well, the werewolves are almost fully assembled and the Dementors are enjoying the occasional Muggle we catch for them to eat. Yes, things are looking quite good, although I am mildly annoyed that the moon will be just a waxing crescent when we begin. Only a few of the Werewolves have the ability to transform _without_ the full moon… but then again, with the giants and Dementors, we should be able to manage. With luck, by the time the full moon comes, they will have retreated to Hogwarts and be placing all their hopes in those Wards of theirs."

"Wards which you'll be able to take down in a single move, yes, My Lord."

Lucius shrank back as Voldemort glared at him.

"Lucius, my slippery friend, do not try to inflate my ego like that. Overconfidence and ignorance combined led to my fall the last time, I will not follow the same path again!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Lucius whimpered and Voldemort turned his attention back to the papers in front of him.

"I am not angered, Lucius, merely cautious." He stated as he turned another page and picked up his quill. "There is still much work to do in order to ensure that there are no nasty surprises… you may go."

Lucius bowed and vacated the study. A moment after he left, Voldemort glanced at the chair in the corner.

"Lucius seems to be considering having second thoughts. He may become a liability."

A rat emerged from underneath the chair and transformed into a wizard who bowed.

"Should I take care of him, My Lord?"

"I think not, My Inquisitor. Once I begin our glorious revolution he will return to being my truly loyal follower… but for that to happen, I will have to slay Potter personally."

Peter tilted his head in confusion and Voldemort finished writing on the page before continuing.

"Potter is a living counter to myself. His existence is a reminder that I can fall and thus, he must be disposed of. However, should I simply hand the task of killing him to someone else, It will lead to some whispering that I was too scared to face him myself and that in turn would lead to some of them rising against me. While I could easily defeat them, it would be… tiresome.  
"Of course, no-one ever said I had to face him on equal terms. Have you managed to get the items that I tasked you with locating?"

"Of course, My Lord." Pettigrew bowed deeply. "The magic-suppressing manacles are in a bag in your quarters, just as you asked. I even tested the key and it locks and unlocks the manacles without any hint of wear."

"Further testing of them is in order, though. I would hate to discover that their magic-suppressive properties were over-stated" Voldemort mused. "Pass a message on to Bellatrix for me, my Inquisitor. After the evening meal, she is to report to me."

Peter bowed and shrank back into his rodent-form, vanishing through a carefully-created hole in the skirting board.

* * *

.

"He's planning something big." Severus fretted as he paced the office in a manner reminiscent of a caged lion (a comparison that would have amused McGonogall and Vector but irritated him immensely if anyone had made it). "He's got the Giants feasting on cattle, the werewolves have almost finished assembling and the Dementors… they're in a shielded area in the basement. He even has a few of the older Vampires at his court."

"Is he commanding them?" Albus asked, his tone lacking its usual semi-distracted nature ad Severus shook his head, looking even more worried.

"No. Oh, he's holding himself above them, but he's treating them like honored guests and not recalcitrant grunts. Even worse, he _personally_ oversaw the modification of their rooms. They've got rooms that have sliding shutters and heavy curtains over the windows, meaning that they can stay awake during the day without risking the sunlight."

"That seems to be quite out of character for him." Albus mused, then he looked at the piece of paper that Severus had dropped onto his desk. "What's this? Oh. Oh my… this does explain some things… where did he get it from?"

"I don't know, but it's really helping him." Severus ground out. "He's keeping to every bargain he makes, even when it proved detrimental to him."

"Making his followers even more loyal to him." Albus winced. "They don't just admire his power, they know that they can _trust_ him… it would seem Tom has become far more dangerous since his return that he was prior to his defeat."

For a long moment, a worried silence descended on the office, then Albus looked at his Potions Teacher.

"Severus, I know that I am asking a lot of you, but I need to know _when_ he is planning to move. I have already reactivated the Order, but without knowing when and where he intends to strike first, there is little that I can do…"

"I'll try to find out, but it'll be hard." Severus sagged. "He's started to compatamentalise the information his followers receive. _Need To Know_ , he calls it, and I do not know how I can persuade him that I _do_ need to know…"

Albus lowered his gaze to the list on his desk. "I understand. If you can find out, it would be very useful, but do not place yourself at risk of your true allegiance being discovered."

"I understand, Albus." Severus nodded. "As always, I shall do my best."

"That is all I could ever ask for, Severus."

* * *

.

"…This looks good, but we need to add a reinforced room in the lowest-level for when there are guests over and it's full moon." Sirius said, examining the holographic image in front of him. Beside him, Remus stood holding the deeds to the land that he had overseen the purchase of on Sirius' behalf. "No, wait. Cancel that. Deepen that level by another meter and enclose the stairs leading down. Yep, now put a gate at the base, add some bushes and grass around the central pond and… excellent! Just like that!"

"You're putting a garden in your basement… for _me_?" Remus asked and Sirius nodded.

"Don't want you catching a cold if it rains on the full moon and this way, we'll have plenty of room to run around in. Okay, Jorel, how long will it take you to build this?"

" _It can be constructed within a week, sir._ " Jor-El replied and Sirius nodded.

"Then do it. Much as I'm glad Harry is letting us stay, I really want a place of my own where I can entertain the ladies. Remus, you alright?"

"Just… still in shock." Remus admitted, sending a significant glance out the window to the corner of the garden where James' and Lily's graves were located, as well as the small one for their stillborn child and Sirius winced slightly.

"Yeah… sorry we waited so long before bringing you in but… we weren't sure until recently if your loyalty to Harry outweighed your loyalty to Albus. You heard him discuss the Prophecy at the meeting, how do you think he'd react if we told him that Harry wasn't born to Prongs and Lily?"

"Technically, he was." Remus countered. "Jorel, can you project the text of the Prophecy? Thank you. Now, add an _e_ to the end of the word _Born_ …"

Sirius' jaw dropped in shock as he realized what he was looking at.

"It's still valid! Harry can still take Mouldyshorts down!"

"You like that nickname too much." Remus sighed.


	34. Ambush

The former-living-room-turned-impromptu Quidditch Chamber (with one of the more expensive non-custom Tables in the center) at Riddle Manor was almost filled to bursting as Lucius moved to sit at Voldemort's left side, glancing across to where Pettigrew was almost preening on the other side of their Master's throne.

Accepting a goblet of the finest wine from one of the followers who had been press-ganged into acting as part of the catering staff, hesettled himself into his seat as the Quidditch models started to stir into life, then the voice of the announcer sounded.

" _Ladies and Gentle-wizards, welcome to the final Quidditch  
_ _Match at Hogwarts on this lovely Sunday afternoon! The last  
_ _match of the season and it is the decider as to who will claim  
_ _the cup this year, Gryffindor or Ravenclaw! Slytherin put up a  
_ _good showing this year, but the Seekers Percy Weasley and  
_ _Cho Chang proved to be_ just _too good, relegating them into  
_ _third place._

_And the teams emerge, ready to play! Gryffindor lead with  
_ _their Keeper and captain, Oliver Wood, followed by the Chasers  
_ _Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Ron Weasley. Behind them  
_ _are the Beaters Fred and George Weasley and their seeker, Percy  
_ _Weasley, living up to the standard set by his older brother Charlie,  
_ _considered to be one of the greatest Gryffindor Seekers in the  
_ _last century!_

_Now come the Ravenclaws, led by their captain and Chaser Roger  
_ _Davies, flanked by fellow-chasers Anna Gedes and Ginny Weasley,  
_ _the first Weasley in generations to not be in Gryffindor! Behind them  
_ _are the Beaters Jason Samuals and Duncan Inglebee while Seeker  
_ _Cho Chang and Keeper Harry_ Protego _Potter bringing up the rear!_

_And listen to the cheering!_

_Madam Hooch enters the pitch and places a box down on the  
_ _grass. She opens it and releases the Snitch… there it goes! The  
_ _Bludgers are next and then she picks up the Quaffle!_

_The teams move into position… and she throws it!_

_Ginny takes control, barely dodging her brother as he tries to  
_ _snatch it from her grasp! A roll to avoid a Bludger and she dives  
_ _to pick up speed… what a climb! A perfect Racing Rocket takes  
_ _her above the action and gives her a free run at the hoops… Cho  
_ _Chang moving in to parallel her, now moving ahead and… what  
_ _a move! Duncan grabs Ginny's hand and spins her round with  
_ _her speed intact while Cho rolls to flare her robes… Ginny shielded  
_ _by Samuels as she moves round and passes to Gedes! Gedes does  
_ _a Ghost Pass to Davies below her as Ginny breaks right to distract  
_ _the Lions… Davies takes the shot… and Wood saves it! Caught by  
_ _surprise yet still able to block it!"_

.

"Nice try, Ginny!" Arthur shouted from the box where he and Molly had been sitting beside Sirius and Remus. Molly looked rather torn, unsure of who to cheer on.

"You should be proud of them all." Remus offered and Molly nodded.

"I am." She smiled. "I am."

.

"Quite a game isn't it?" Voldemort laughed as the little models performed various acrobatics. "Almost a shame that it'll be the last one that young Potter ever plays."

Lucius nodded in agreement, then his eyes moved almost against his will to the window outside which a Dementor had glided past, having been assigned guard duty by Voldemort.

.

"You're doing great!" Davies called as Ginny looped round ready for Harry to throw the Quaffle back into play after his impressive save. "Okay, let's do a Twisting Weave on them!"

Ginny nodded, as did Anna and they moved into position as Roger caught the Quaffle.

"One, two, go!"

Ginny accelerated forwards and if their brooms had left a trail, she would have sketched out one half of a double-spiral down the center of which Roger raced, then all three dived at the same instant, switching positions as they performed several stealthy passes in quick succession.

.

"… _and Wood pulls off another incredible save, keeping the  
_ _score still at zero points each! Once again the Quaffle comes  
_ _back into play and… the Snitch has appeared! Cho Chang and  
_ _Percy Weasley are both diving for it, straight down through  
_ _the Chasers and Beaters who dodge out of the way!_

_Cho slightly in the lead as they pull up, in hot pursuit of the  
_ _Snitch, but Percy's slightly faster S-3 Broomstick gives him the  
_ _advantage in a long chase… the Snitch darts round the posts  
_ _and Cho uses the opportunity to do a grab-turn… as does Percy!  
_ _Percy comes out of the turn with a higher velocity and pulls up  
_ _to beside Chang… they both try to grab it… and the match is over  
_ _but who has the Snitch?_

_Both of the Chasers seem to have a grip on it… Madam Hooch  
_ _moves in and examines their hands… the crowd goes silent…_

_Ravenclaw wins! Cho Chang made contact with the Snitch first!  
_ _Ravenclaw wins one-fifty to zero after a hard-fought match  
_ _that could easily have gon the other way! This has to be the  
_ _hardest-fought match ever! The last Double-catch was back in  
_ _1742 between the Tutshill Tornadoes and the Chudley Cannons!  
_ _Ladies and Gentlewizards, this has been history in the making!_

.

"I still don't know how I managed to win." Cho admitted as the celebrating Ravenclaw team finally made it to the changing room tunnel down which the Gryffindors had already vanished. "I mean, I thought that _Percy_ had won, it was that close!"

"But _you_ got there first." Roger pointed out, his grin so wide that Harry was half-expecting his head to fall off. "None of us could get past Wood, he's good. Almost as good as you, Harry."

"I saw." Harry agreed. "Some of those saves, I still don't know how he pulled them off, or even knew that they were incoming."

"That was the greatest game ever!" Ginny laughed. "We beat my brothers!"

"We sure did." Harry agreed, then suddenly a flash of white engulfed them.

.

"Excellent." Voldemort gloated as the cabinet at the end of the room burst open, Pettigrew emerging from it before dragging the insensate form of Harry Potter behind him. The doors swung closed, then opened again to let Nott out.

"Nott, dismount the doors." Voldemort ordered and the smirking Death Eater nodded before kneeling to begin partially dismantling the cabinet. "Bella, the manacles, please."

Bellatrix reached into her robe and pulled out the iron chains in question, placing them into Voldemort's waiting hand. The Dark Lord stepped forwards and carefully locked the collar and cuffs around Harry's neck, wrists and ankles before straightening up.

"Bring him." He stated and several pairs of hands picked up the stunned boy. "Is my throne in position?"

"Yes, My Lord." Lucius bowed deeply, awed by how his Master had set things up so that no-one knew where there hero had gone.

.

" _Alert!_ " Jor-El's voice echoed from both Neville's and Hermione's watches, causing everyone around them to look at them in confusion. " _Alert! Lord Potter has been stunned and kidnapped! His current location is unknown!_ "

Without hesitation, Hermione started pushing her way through the crowded stands, Neville close behind her.

"What's going on?" Padma called as Hermione almost ran past.

"Harry's in trouble!"

"What?"

.

"Ginny! Wake up!"

Ginny forced her eyes open and looked round blearily. "Luna? What happened?"

"I don't know, but Harry's gone!" Luna almost cried.

"What happened?" Hermione half-shouted as she sprinted into the tunnel, followed by Neville, Sirius, Remus and most of the teachers. "Jor-El said that Harry's been kidnapped!"

"They were hiding in that cupboard…" Ginny managed to answer as she failed to make it to her feet and Neville darted past, dropping down to look at it.

"Dammit, I recognize those runes! This is a Vanishing Cabinet…"

"Like the Switching Rooms?" Hermione asked and Neville nodded.

"Yeah… we need to find him!" Neville confirmed and Jor-El spoke again.

" _I am already beginning the search._ "

"Try the Riddle Manor." Albus suggested, his normally kind face tight with anger. "It's in Little Hangleton… Tom's father used to live there."

.

Harry woke, feeling as if his body was on fire. Waves of agony crashed through him, then they suddenly stopped, leaving only echoes of pain behind.

"Welcome back, _Lord_ Potter." An amused voice said, causing a wave of laughter and Harry forced his eyes open. For a moment, he simply looked around himself, seeing the crowd of masked wizards and rough-looking people wearing tattered clothes and furs. Behind them, giants loomed up against the afternoon sky, watching with mild curiosity.

"Over here, Potter." The voice prompted and Harry slowly levered himself into a sitting position, a process hampered by the chains that someone had put on him. "Welcome to my home."

Harry stared at the improbably-handsome man lounging on a golden throne.

"Should I know you?"

"Well, it has been a bit over a decade since we last met," The man mused as he rose from his throne and stepped forwards, his cloak billowing dramatically. "I suppose you could be forgiven for not recognizing me. After all, we did only meet once… and briefly at that."

"Voldemort." Harry stated and the man nodded, looking pleased.

"Oh, very good, Potter. Very good indeed. Yes, I am Lord Voldemort. Do feel free to grovel."

"I don't see a reason why." Harry shot back, flexing his legs slightly as he considered whether or not he had recovered enough to stand up.

"How about this?" Voldemort asked almost lazily as he pointed a wand at Harry " _Crucio_."

Harry bit back a scream as the waves of agony coruscated through his body again for what seemed like an eternity before stopping.

""That's… not… much… of… an… argument…" Harry panted as he lay on the grass.

"Really?" Voldemort sounded almost surprised. "It has carried the crowds so far."

Harry rolled onto his side, then his eyes caught sight of the wand holster still strapped to his wrist and the wand sticking out. Summoning all his strength, he grabbed it and aimed at Voldemort.

" _Bombarda!_ "

"Oh, well done, Harry." Voldemort clapped politely as the spell failed to work. "Straight to a spell meant to cripple me in the hopes that you could get away in the confusion. I am impressed. However, as long as you are wearing those chains, you cannot perform any magic."

Long fingers snatched Harry's wand and Voldemort held it up.

"I may as well remove the temptation from you, though. Who knows what mischief you may try if I let you keep this?"

A loud _snap_ echoed as Voldemort snapped Harry's wand, then he let the pieces fall to the ground.

"Oh dear, how clumsy of me." Voldemort joked and the assembled watchers laughed. "You know, I had for a while considered giving you the chance to serve me, but then I realized. With that old fool Dumbledore overseeing your childhood, there is not a single chance that you would switch sides, so I will not insult either of us by making the offer."

Harry ignored Voldemort as he looked at the masked figures surrounding them, focusing on the faces just behind the masks. Several were unfamiliar to him, but he memorized them anyway. Lucius Malfoy was stood just beside the throne with Peter Pettigrew flanking it on the other side and a woman with a startling resemblance to Professors Tonks and Malfoy just behind it, her expression eager as she watched. To one side stood Professor Snape, his expression one of self-loathing and despair as he looked at Harry.

"…and so it is almost time for your life to end." Voldemort finished as Harry managed to sit up again, his hands cupped in front of him. "Before you die, is there anything that you wish to say?"

"Actually, yes." Harry replied without looking up from his hands, earning a surprised look from Voldemort. "just a short thing though… how did it go…"

"Now you're just trying to buy time." Voldemort scoffed as he raised his wand. "Goodbye Harry Potter. _Aveda Kadavra_!"


	35. Skill Against Skill Alone

" _Before you die, it there anything that you wish to say?"  
_ " _Actually, yes." Harry replied without looking up from his hands, earning a surprised look from Voldemort. "just a short thing though… how did it go…"  
_ " _Now you're just trying to buy time." Voldemort scoffed as he raised his wand. "Goodbye Harry Potter._ Aveda Kadavra _!"_

For a long moment, no-one moved and Voldemort stared at Harry, then he gave his wand a _look_.

" _Aveda Kadavra_! _Crucio_!"

"It worked." Harry sagged in relief.

"What worked?" Voldemort snarled, stalking closer to Harry. "What did you do?!"

"A little trick I learned." Harry slowly pulled himself to his feet, the lengths of chain clinking. "It's one of my Family Spells. Didn't you wonder why I was holding my hands like that? I was hiding the Sigils I was using."

"What. Sigils?" Voldemort growled.

"Zu Da Ur." Harry smirked. "It temporarily negates all spellcasting in the area."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Severus suddenly looking hopeful.

"It matters not." Voldemort pulled a dagger out of his belt. "I'll simply slit your throat and be done with it."

"One problem with that." Harry stated.

"What problem? You are in chains. You cannot escape."

" _What_ chains?" Harry grinned, then he grabbed the links and _pulled_. The iron screamed as the links deformed and shattered, then Harry pulled the now-useless cuffs off his wrists even as Voldemort gawked. A backwards roll let him free his legs and as he came back up to his feet, he wrenched the collar off. "No magic, Voldie. Let's fight… Muggle style!"

"Impossible…" Voldemort breathed, then he dived sideways as the twisted collar was hurled at him. The mangled metal slammed into Malfoy, who hadn't dodged in time, piercing his mask and dropping him to the ground.

"Kill him!" Voldemort screamed. "Someone… _anyone_! Kill him! Dementors!"

"They're _dead_!" One of the cloaked figures shouted. "They collapsed as you tried to kill Potter!"

"Huh, so the spell kills Dementors." Harry mused before spinning to block the staff being swung at his head by one of the rough-looking men. Yanking the staff out of his hands, he spun it round, delivering a perfect rising strike that shattered his attackers jaw and flung him backwards.

"Kill him!" Voldemort repeated in a near-panic. "Now!"

One of the giants lifted his gnarled club and swung it down, intending to crush Harry under the branched end, but Harry managed to dodge and then punched at the giant's ankle, shattering it. With a surprisingly high-pitched squeal of pain, the giant slowly toppled over, landing on several of the slower Death-eaters. Pausing only to mouth _run_ at a shocked Severus Snape, Harry moved onto the attack.

.

" _We are almost at Riddle Manor._ " Jor-El stated as the shuttle dived. " _Sensors have located Lord Potter. On screen._ "

Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Filius, Sirius, Remus and Albus all looked at the screen where Harry was flinging around Death-eaters and other assorted miscreants while a finely-dressed dark-haired man backed away.

"That's Tom." Albus frowned. "But why isn't he using any magic?"

" _Sensors indicate that the magical environment for a distance of one point two miles around the Manor has been disrupted by the use of the_ Zu Da Ur _combination. External use of magic in that area is currently impossible. Estimated time until effect fades… one point nine years._ "

"I… won't be much help." Albus admitted, then he stared at Filius, who was accepting a shield and battle-axe from the Golem Kelex. Remus stared at one of the display screens while Flitwick armed himself.

"You stay here, we'll take care of things." Filius said as the shuttle decelerated. "Ready?"

Neville and Hermione didn't even bother to respond as they took on their animal forms, as did Sirius, Ginny and Luna while Remus moved to a ladder at the back of the cockpit and started climbing up it. Flitwick led the charge out of the cockpit and through the seating area to where the rear ramp was opening, much to the shock of the few who were looking in the right direction to see a doorway opening out of thin air.

"For honor and profit!" Flitwick yelled as he charged into battle, his impossibly sharp axe cleaving through his first target even before he'd hit the ground. One of the rough men aimed an arrow at him, only to be brought down by a tiger slashing his throat with sharp claws, then a sound of thunder achoed across the battlefield as one of the giants toppled, his head removed by an attack like nothing anyone had seen before.

.

"Did _I_ do that?" Remus asked in shock as he stared at his hands and the gunnery-turret control sticks they were holding. "Wow. I wonder if I can do it again?"

.

Peter shrank into his rat form and dived into a tunnel that he had carefully created with magic weeks ago just in case he needed it. Mentally thanking his survival paranoia, he scuttled towards the cellars of Riddle Manor.

He could hide out until the screaming stopped, then check the situation to see who won.

After all, he was a spy and messenger, not a fighter.

.

Bellatrix screamed in incoherent fury as she ran forwards, a poisoned dagger in her hand, then she felt something grab her ankle, causing her to slam into the ground. Looking round for the dagger she had dropped, she paused as she saw the thing that had grabbed her, something that looked like a depressed red furry beanbag.

"Let go of me or I'll use your fur to line my toilet seat with!" She snarled and the creature growled, then suddenly she found herself whipping through the air as it swung her. She had just enough time to recognize the shocked expression of her hopeless husband before the impact turned her world into nothing more than a sea of pain.

Her last coherent thought was regret that she would not be able to torture the Longbottoms back into insanity once more.

.

Rabastan Lestrange gaped as his brother was flattened by a screaming Bellatrix being swung like a club. His reflexively-fired organ-rotting curse didn't even cause his wand to spark, then the moaning figure of his sister-in-law was swung across, scything his legs out from underneath him. His last sight was her descending form blocking out the sun as she was slammed into him.

.

Luna aimed carefully, then dove, her wings beating hard as she picked up speed. Releasing the rock that she had managed to pick up despite her avian feet not being designed for it, she arced back into the air as the projectile slammed into a Death-Eater's hood, sending him to the ground in an un-moving heap.

.

Severus shoved his mask into his belt-pouch as he ran, glancing behind him just in time to see a second Giant fall, its head no longer solid but a rapidly-dispersing pink mist. Shrugging off his outer robe, he shoved it into the enlarged pouch before concentrating on escaping whatever was happening behind him.

The tiny part of his mind not focused on simple survival wondered how Potter had recognized him underneath the heavy, hooded robes and mask.

Then again, that was a problem for another day.

Stumbling, Severus reflexively _reached_ inside himself and a moment later, a dark-feathered bird clawed its way into the sky.

.

Voldemort slammed closed the door of Riddle Manor and locked it, then backed away from it, still holding his wand.

" _Collaportus_!" He tried, but nothing happened except for a long growl behind him. Slowly turning, he found himself looking at a golden-chested bear with extremely sharp teeth.

"Oh. Crap. Not good."

The bear seemed to snigger as it prowled closer, its claws gouging the wooden floor, and Voldemort dashed into the drawing room, aiming to reach the window before it could get its fangs into him. Landing in a clumsy roll, he pulled himself to his feet only to find himself facing two dogs, one black and the other white.

"This isn't good." He muttered to himself as his hand scrabbled at the empty dagger-sheath on his belt. "Oh hell."

The white dog charge forwards, teeth bared and an instant later, Voldemort's spirit fled the battlefield.

.

Golgomath grunted in pleasure as he watched Kurkas' head explode, then he turned to face the direction that the killing bolt had come from. Squinting he made out a ripple in the air and charged towards it, lifting his club (an uprooted Oak tree) to smash whatever it was that had struck down the fellow Giant that he had been planning to kill himself.

The flash of light that removed his head just like Karkus' had been removed would have come as a complete surprise, had he enough time to actually register it.

.

In the cockpit, Albus felt every year of his age as he watched the unfolding carnage.

"Tom… why did you make us do this?" He whispered sadly even as Remus' _whoo_ of triumph echoed down from the gun turret. "Why can't you realize the damage your idea of a true society will cause? Why?"

* * *

.

The shuttle lifted off, leaving the blood-soaked manor grounds behind and in the main compartment, a grinning Filius wiped the blood off his axe while the animagi around him resumed their human forms.

"What an axe!" He exulted, looking at the unmarred blade and the edge which, despite having been heavily used, showed not a single nick or blunt spot. "I hate to say it, but this is better than even the legendary _Ghrkktlarzhakrahaal_ … the Great Wizard Splitting Axe wielded by the first Goblin King."

Filius looked up, just in time to see Ginny and Hermione clinging to each other, crying.

"First kills." Sirius explained. "I'd help, but…"

"But you have the emotional depth of an empty platter." Remus finished as he moved towards the weeping girls. "I'll handle this. Welcome back, Harry."

"Thanks." Harry said, tiredly. "But I really need to sleep. Those _Crucio_ 's didn't help much."

"How did you escape?" Sirius asked curiously, holding up a twisted cuff. "These should have stopped you using magic."

" _The cuffs are designed to disrupt the wearer's magic as they push it into an external focus such as a wand._ " Jor-El volunteered. " _Kryptonian Battle-Magic does not use a physical external focus..._ "

"So the cuffs don't react to it." Sirius nodded, then he gave Harry a long look. "You look like crap, pup."

" _I have already sent Healer Pomphrey a list of your injuries._ " Jor-El said and Harry nodded.

"Thanks. You flying us straight to Hogwarts?"

"Well, we could use the switching rooms." Neville suggested. "One of the bunks was replaced by a switching room, so we can get to Hogwarts quicker that way."

Harry looked up at Neville, finally taking in his friend's triumphant expression. "Nev? What…?"

"I killed them." Neville sat down beside Harry. "Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. The three who took my parents away for over ten years and forced me to live a childhood where everyone thought I was a Squib. they're gone… forever. I… I killed them."

"They deserved to die." Filius agreed. "They were wild animals who lived only to destroy. They should have been put down years ago, not imprisoned until they were released to harm the innocent again. You did well, Neville. You are a true warrior. You are _all_ true warriors and I am proud to have fought by your side this day. By the way, Harry, may I keep this axe? Please?"

Harry nodded as he closed his eyes and leaned back. "Sure…"

"Dammit!" Sirius shouted. "He's going into shock! We need to get him to Poppy _now_!"

"Let me help." Albus' voice seemed faint and far away to Harry. " _Levicorpus_."

* * *

.

Severus Snape popped into existence just outside the Hogwarts gates and glared at the Centaur guard who had drawn his bow.

"Put that away." He growled. "You know who I am."

The Centaur looked conflicted, but finally nodded and slightly lowered his bow while the second one held up a framed piece of glass that Harry had provided to them at the same time as he handed out the maps. Although he couldn't see it from the side he was on, Severus knew that the Centaur was seeing an analysis of him, both visual and magical, which would uncover any attempt at disguise or hidden magical items.

"It's him." The Centaur confirmed, returning the glass to its pouch and the first Centaur grudgingly returned the arrow to its quiver before pushing the gate open.

"Thank you." Severus nodded to the more polite of the two Centaurs as he stepped through, then he strode towards the castle that he called home.

He still wasn't sure what had happened, but Albus needed to know that Harry could somehow negate all magic…

His footsteps stopped as he stared in horror at Hogwarts.

What would happen if Harry used that skill _here_?

Shaking off the unwelcome thought, Snape resumed his progress, forcing his thoughts into calmer directions.

He had to check on the project that Potter had suggested. The potion was almost ready to be tested.

And if it worked (or even if it didn't), his students would be getting bonus marks on their upcoming NEWTs for their hard work.

It was actually quite relaxing not having to deal with nearly as many dunderheads.

He owed Professor Tonks a favor.

He'd let her access his private library so that she could take her Mastery. That should do it.


	36. After-Action Report

Amelia Bones appeared with the characteristic _pop_ of Apparition and stepped down from the small platform used as a temporary Apparition target during large-scale missions. Looking round, she lifted a quizzical eyebrow at the line of warding stones arcing away from her in a gentle arc.

"Director." A voice said and Amelia nodded to the person who had addressed her.

"Scrimgeour. What's the situation?"

"The Unspeakables set up anti-Muggle wards around the affected area." Rufus said, nodding to a small group of robed figures, one of whom was waving a wand while others took notes. "The area's almost two and a half miles wide and the magic inside is apparently… screwy."

"…screwy?" Amelia repeated as they crossed the line of stones, the familiar tingle of wards shivering across her skin.

"The effect starts in a hundred paces or so, spells get harder to cast." Rufus explained as they walked down the long road. "By the time we're half a mile in, nothing magical seems to work. You can't use your wand, Portkeys fizzle out, you can't Apparate…"

Amelia stopped, staring at Rufus. "What? How?"

"We don't know." Rufus admitted. "But what we found in the middle…"

"Amelia!" A voice called from behind and Director Bones hid a sigh as she turned to face the new arrivals.

"Minister Fudge, Under-Secretary Umbridge." She said in greeting as the two officials half-jogged to join her. "May I ask what you are doing here?"

"We heard that there was a problem here and that someone had reported a dead giant." Fudge panted. "I had to see for myself, I thought the last giants were in Russia!"

"So did I." Bones agreed, sending Scrimgeour a dark glance for not informing her.

"It's messy up ahead." Rufus warned. "Blood, brains… it looks like the aftermath of one of _His_ attacks… except over half the dead are dressed in Death Eater robes. We've already identified the three Lestranges… someone beat them to death with a blunt instrument."

Fudge paled and Amelia seized on his reaction.

"Minister, you are not trained for scenes like this. I'll gather the evidence and give you a report later."

"I… of course." Fudge agreed quickly. "I have so much important stuff waiting for me. Come Dolores, back to the office!"

"Yes Minister."

Amelia turned from the sight of the Minister and his toady waddling back to the Apparition point and resumed her journey towards the crime scene.

"Give me an overview." She commanded and Rufus pulled out a clipboard.

"So far, we have at five dead giants, all male. At least two dozen dead Death Eaters, we've identified most of the escapees from Azkaban including the Lestranges."

"All three of them?" Amelia asked and Rufus nodded. "The Longbottoms will be happy to hear that. Continue."

"We also found some corpses clad in Dementor robes."

Once again, Amelia slammed to a stop. "Corpses? Did they have eyes?"

Rufus blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Erm… no. Just patches of skin."

"Those _are_ Dementors." Amelia shook her head in disbelief. "You don't have access to the Dark Files, but Dementors were the result of the Blood-Wizard Ekrizdis trying to make Inferi more dangerous by giving them the aility to use magic and the intelligence to use it. He succeeded, sort of, but didn't survive and we've been stuck with them ever since. For them to have been… How many?"

"Um, they kind of stopped counting after a hundred or so cloaks were found…"

"I want an _exact_ count!" Bones snapped. "The Ministry keeps track of how many Dementors there are and if someone's wiped them out, we need to know if _any_ of those monsters have survived!"

"Yes, Director!"

.

"By Merlin's staff…" Amelia breathed as she looked at the sight in front of her. The huge lawn in front of the partially-repaired Manor was covered in blood and unidentifiable bits of gore as well as the five giant corpses that had yet to be moved. To one side, rows of bodies were still being laid out, many of them in tattered clothes and furs.

"Death Eaters and their pet Werewolves." Alistair Moody growled as he stomped up to them, his trainee Nymphadora Tonks following him. "Greyback's there, as are the three Lestranges and Malfoy himself. He's most certainly dead, got half a magic-draining collar embedded in his skull. We can't tell much about what happened, but we found these."

Amelia accepted the broken fragments of wood and looked at them closely. "Holly and some sort of feather… Griffon?"

"Phoenix." Alistair corrected her. "Only one person has a wand of Holly and Phoenix feather."

"I know." Amelia looked up from the almost inoffensive bits of wand. "Harry Potter."

"There's more. We found Voldie's wand. It was on a corpse that we think was Voldie, but… there's lingering traces of magic on it."

"I thought magical things didn't work here?" Amelia queried and Alistair shrugged.

"Most things don't. But Tonks here can still shape-shift, Richards can still turn into an eagle and my eye still sees magic. It looks odd, like looking through fog, but I can still see magic and that body… traces of permanent transfiguration on the face. I've already sent the fingerprints to headquarters via Richards, so we should find out soon who he was _before_ he changed his face."

The sound of wings interrupted him and he looked up as an eagle swooped down, back-winging to a halt just above the ground before expanding into a familiar auror, one with a gobsmacked expression on his face.

"Lockhart." He stated and Alistair spun to look at the corpse lying against the wall with its throat torn out.

"That's Lockhart? What the hell?"

"It makes sense…" Amelia mused. "His career was effectively over when he lost the duel against Potter, he would have been easy for Pettigrew to recruit. Speaking of…?"

"No sign of the rat and believe me, we've been looking." Alistair grumbled. "Without our normal spells to work with, it's almost impossible to work out what happened here. We may need to bring in some of the squibs who've gone into law enforcement if we want to get any more clues, we just aren't trained for situations like this."

"Scrimgeour, make a note." Amelia ordered. "Up the importance of non-magical investigation techniques."

"Yes, Director."

Amelia looked round. "So, how many of the escapees have we accounted for?"

"Five are still missing, probably ran off." Alistair said as he led her towards the throne standing almost incongruously on a small wooden platform. "We think the non-Death-Eaters are werewolves, those we've managed to identify are, at any rate. There are three vampires in the Manor, they've promised not to try to feed on anyone and simply want to return to their covens to spread word that Voldemort is no more. While I'd like to just stake them out in the sun, sending them back would be better in the long run as it would help keep the other bloodsuckers out."

"Good thinking." Amelia congratulated him.

"Thank my trainee. She was the one who suggested it."

"Animal tracks!" one of the aurors called. "Looks like a dog!"

"Sirius Black." Amelia half-whispered.

"Large cat track here!" Another Auror called and Amelia blinked.

"McGonogall was here?"

"Nope, it's a _large_ pawprint. Too big for a house-cat, but too small for a lion."

"What the heck?" Amelia muttered to herself. "Richards, find out who on the Animagus Registry is a big cat and where they were for the last day!"

"Yes, Director!" Richards replied before he blurred back into his avian form.

* * *

.

"Lucius is _dead_!" Fudge gasped. "But… How?"

"A broken collar from a shattered set of magic-blocking manacles, fired at high speed into his forehead, straight through his _Death Eater_ mask." Amelia explained, ignoring the gasps and muttered oaths from the (depleted) Wizengamot. "We retrieved the wand of _He-who-must-not-be-named_ as well and had the last few spells analyzed. Multiple Cruciatus curses and what our researchers assure me is an interrupted killing curse. Madam Pomphrey had confirmed that Lord Potter is receiving treatment for _Cruciatus_ exposure."

Amelia waited for the outcry to begin to subside before continuing.

"The person who used the wand of _He-who-must-not-be-named_ had altered his features to resemble him, but we were able to identify him by his fingerprints. Gilderoy Lockhart."

This time, there was no outcry, only a shocked silence and Amelia forged on before they could recover.

"We have interrogated the survivors and they have confirmed that Lord Potter was tortured in front of them before a rescue mission, led by Dueling Master Filius Flitwick, forced them to flee. Gringotts Bank has released a statement declaring Professor Flitwick to be a Warrior of the Clans, meaning that even if anyone thinks that bringing charges against him is a good idea, he cannot be legally prosecuted for the deaths he caused while rescuing one under his protection. Not without sparking another Goblin Rebellion, that is."

This time, the silence was that of people too scared to speak out.

"We have also confirmed that the Dementors which defected to Lockhart's forces have almost all perished. We've currently accounted for all but five of them at this time."

"But… who will guard Azkaban now?" Fudge whined.

"The Aurors." Amelia shot back. "We are training new members even as we speak."

"And the dead?" Fudge queried.

"Notifications have been sent to their families."

* * *

.

Narcissa Malfoy flung the protective amulet against the wall and dropped into her chair, tears running down her face. The letter informing her of the death of her husband lay on the desk, crumpled and stained with teardrops.

"'Cissa?"

Andromeda paused in the doorway to Narcissa's quarters and Narcissa found herself in her sister's comforting arms.

"I'm here for you, sister." Andromeda crooned as Narcissa cried into her shoulder. "I'll always be here for you."

.

Draco Malfoy stared at the letter in his hands. After several long moments, he re-folded it and rose from his chair. Leaving his room, he made his way down the hall to the common room, then lightly tapped on his Head of House's office door.

"Enter!"

Draco opened the door and stepped through.

"Professor."

"Mr Malfoy." Snape returned, then he tilted his head slightly. "Or is it Lord Malfoy?"

"You know." Draco said almost accusingly and Snape motioned for him to sit on the chair opposite his desk.

"I am a Slytherin, it is expected that I know things." Snape said, then he frowned slightly. "And I must warn you not to seek vengeance for your father's death. If you must blame anyone for his demise, blame the Dark Lord."

"I will not seek vengeance." Draco said, knowing that Snape had nonetheless heard the unspoken _for now_. "But I must ask for advice. Potter is already a Lord. Would you suggest that I claim my Lordship too at this time?"

"No." Snape instantly replied. "Your mother will make a superior Regent for you and doing so will distract her from her loss as well as giving you an experienced representative who you can trust absolutely. Claiming your Lordship before you attain your NEWTs would be unwise."

Draco gave an almost unwilling nod. "I… have to agree. For now, I shall remain as Lord _Apparent_ Malfoy."

"A wise decision." Snape agreed.

* * *

.

"Ah, Lord Potter!" Ollivander greeted Harry cheerfully as he entered. "I heard that once again, you have saved us from _He-who-must-not-be-named_ …"

"You mean, Mouldyshorts?" Harry asked as he sat down on the chair and Ollivander paused.

"Probably, yes. I also heard that he broke your wand."

"Snapped it, yes." Harry confirmed.

"Well, let us see which of my Wands will choose you, now that you have grown a bit, shall we?" Ollivander scurried into the lines of shelves behind the counter. "Now, let us see… the old wand of Holly and Phoenix Feather… let's see… Oh! Yes indeed, these may do very well indeed."

.

"How did it go?" Filius asked as Harry exited Ollivander's shop, tucking his new wand into his wrist-holster.

Harry paused just long enough to look at Flitwick, who was clad in the armor of a Goblin Warrior, his axe slung across his back.

"Apple wood and Horned Serpent Horn, thirteen inches." He finally told the diminutive professor.

"My word, quite a combination!" Filius almost bounced with excitement. "Once you get used to it, we'll see how you do in duels again!"

"Yes, Uncle Fil." Harry smiled as they walked towards Harry's flat and the switching room that would return them to Hogwarts.


	37. Departures And Plans

The station vanished into the distance as the Hogwarts Express accelerated away from Hogwarts, its wheels clattering on the tracks.

"Why do we even _have_ to ride the train?" Harry protested as he flopped back against the bench. "I mean, we could simply take my trunk to my flat, then head off to our respective homes."

"It's tradition." Hermione said as she watched several laughing students walking past the door. "But once we reach King's Cross, we simply go home via Diagon Alley."

"After several boring hours on the train." Harry grumbled.

"Look, if it bothers you that much, just take a nap." Neville sighed.

"I just want to get back." Harry sighed. "Professor Snape said that he'd meet me at my home to discuss a project that I came up with for his students and Sirius wants to show off the house that Jor-El built for him."

"Sounds interesting." Neville agreed. "By the way, my parents asked me to ask you for two more comm-watches like gran has."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Harry lay along the bench, his arm flung over his eyes.

"They also asked me to ask you if you had any objection to them hosting this year's summer's Ball."

"The Potter-Longbottom Summer Ball?" Harry mused. "I don't see why not. Alternating between our families will drive home the fact that we're allied. It'll be expensive, though."

"I'm sure we'll manage." Neville snarked. "So, anyone for a game of Cluedo?"

"You've really got addicted to Muggle games, haven't you?" Hermione joked as Neville pulled a familiar box out of his travel-trunk.

"When did you get that?" Harry asked curiously and Neville smirked at him.

.

"The ending of the year and the departure of our students is always so… emotional." Dumbledore remarked as he stood atop one of Hogwarts' balconies, watching the plume of smoke that marked the Hogwarts express' departure dissipate.

"But you'll have the fallout from Lockhart to amuse you." Filius commented from the temporary platform he was using to peer over the raised banister. "I, on the other hand, have been summoned to Gringotts for the summer in order to ensure I have the skills to use my axe properly."

Albus glanced at the incredibly-sharp weapon slung across Filius' back.

"Out of curiosity, just what is it made of?" He asked. "It looks like steel, yet somehow… not."

"It's a type of titanium alloy." Filius replied. "Although the entire weapon is a single molecule, making it incredibly strong. Stronger than diamond, in fact, and with an edge sharper than an arctic wind."

"A good weapon for a warrior." Albus agreed.

"Now, all I need to do is learn how to use it in conjunction with my wand." Flitwick grumbled.

.

"Ginny." Percy nodded to his sister as she stepped into the compartment, then turned his attention back to the board. Rolling three dice, he gave a slight smile as George's two dice both rolled lower numbers. In response, the three figures of bearded wizards held out their staffs, causing a glowing light to drive back the wand-wielders on George's side.

"What is that?" Ginny asked, tilting her head slightly as Percy rolled his dice again, targeting one of Ron's advanced units.

"It's called _Mage Venture_ and it's a good game." Ron said as he scooped up the three dice before picking up a card and adding it to his hand. After a moment of contemplation, he put down a card showing a giant key on a swirling circle with the number 5 printed over it.

"I choose to Portkey 5 mages to Bristol." he said, tapping the units in question. As they slid into their new position, Ron looked at Percy.

"I'm attacking south." He stated and Percy picked up the two defenders dice.

"So… you have to conquer the UK in this game?"

Fred picked up the card planted face-down in front of him and showed it to her.

_Hold Stonehenge for 5 rounds without it being attacked  
_ _(*) (*) (*) (-) (-)_

"While that card holds one possible victory condition, there are others." Percy explained as he and Ron both rolled. "Gah! Lost one."

"So did I." Ron nodded, then he rolled again. "This game may have been invented by the Malfoys, but it's good…"

.

Having returned with his mother to Malfoy Mansion straight from Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy sat behind his father's desk which was covered in the various files that his father had collected on his allies and enemies. However, his attention was on a thick envelope marked _Emergency use only – Read the instructions first! Do not wear!_

The pages he was leafing through described just what the ring was as well as how to use it without risking becoming just another body being hijacked by the Dark Lord.

"Interesting…" He mused, looking at the snake-styled ring. "But how to use this properly?"

After a long moment, he put the ring and sheets of paper back into their envelope and opened one of the folders, reading it carefully, then he leaned back and smirked.

"Yes. Yes, you'll do perfectly. Now, how to make you jump at the chance? How to convince you to use it rather than ask me why _I_ do not wish to use it…? Aha!"

Carefully closing the folder, Draco picked up his quill and a sheet of paper.

"Madam Bagnold." he muttered as he began writing. "We have a common enemy, one who has caused us both great damage. As I am not a female, I cannot use the power-enhancement ring which I enclose as a token of my wishes for an alliance…"

* * *

.

Sirius watched, mouth open in shock, as a wolf ran around the garden. Beside him, smirking, stood Severus Snape.

"I do believe that I have now proven myself the better man, doing what you could not." Severus stated. "While I do not belittle the effort that you went to in order to become an animagus, _I_ have overseen the project that has removed the werewolf curse forever."

The wolf loped towards them before rearing up and transforming into Remus Lupin.

Sirius stared at the Potions Master, then he gave him a formal bow.

"Potions-master Snape, as the Lord of House Black, I recognize that you have provided assistance unasked for but gratefully received. As such, House Black acknowledges the debt owed to you… and for myself, I apologize for my actions when I was younger and far more idiotic than I am now."

Snape's lips briefly twitched, but he didn't take the offered straight line.

"I trust you'll understand if I bank the favor up against future need?"

Sirius nodded with a wry half-smile.

"Of course. You're too Slytherin to do otherwise."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was intended as one." Sirius admitted. "Remus?"

"I can't wait to see how Harry reacts to this." Remus chuckled.

"It could be rather humorous." Snape agreed. "Of course, you may wish to register as an Animagus in order to avoid any… issues. Do you mind if I tag along? There are still several hours before the train arrives at King's Cross, and I feel it will be amusing watching the Animagi Department try to come to terms with the fact that they are looking at a sudden increase in their workload."

"I'll contact the Packs over the summer." Remus offered. "Offhand, I can't think of a single one that would turn down this opportunity."

"This is going to make a _lot_ of money for you." Sirius stated and Severus simply smirked.

* * *

.

"Hermione!"

"Mum! Dad!"

"Neville!"

"Dad! Mum!"

Harry watched with a slight tinge of envy as his two best friends were hugged by their parents, then Frank Longbottom released his son and walked across to Harry.

"Lord Potter," he said, projecting his voice so that everyone on the platform could hear, "For the boon you have granted House Longbottom, we in turn pledge our friendship to House Potter. Your enemies are our enemies, your friends are our friends and should you find yourself threatened, we shall stand by your side."

"Thank you…" Harry managed, still mentally reeling from fact that Frank had just given the formal vow of alliance in front of hundreds of people. "As Lord Potter, I accept your friendship. Your enemies are my enemies, your friends are my friends."

From the side, Hermione watched with wide eyes, aware that history was being made.

.

Millicent Bagnold was in the middle of eating a boring (but cheap and filling) meal at the Leaky Cauldron when Harry Potter made his way through, followed by the Longbottoms and a family that she didn't recognize. She glared at the boy who had destroyed her life as he passed through, then turned her attention to finishing off the thick stew in front of her, a stew that she would once have turned her nose up at.

After finishing her bowl, she fished out her purse and looked into it, carefully counting the bronze coins still inside it. With a sigh of annoyance, she put the purse away and rose from her too-hard seat, moving towards the entrance to the Alley in the hope of finding a small job to earn a few extra knuts for a mug of beer (another thing that she would once have disdained in favor of fine wine).

As the archway opened in front of her, a hoot above her head caused her to look up just as an owl landed, its leg extended. Millicent untied the letter and the owl flew off.

"What is this?" She asked, examining the envelope, then her eyes widened as she felt something that could only be a ring inside. Abandoning her quest for enough money to by alcohol, she Apparated back to her flat and moved to the kitchen table. Sitting down, she slowly opened the envelope, letting the ring roll out and land on the table.

"That has to be worth a _fortune_!" She whispered, staring with greedy eyes at the large stone mounted on the ring, then she noticed the letter still inside the envelope. Pulling it out, she unfolded it and started to read.

* * *

_Madam Bagnold_

_We have a common enemy, one who has caused us both great damage. As I am not a female, I cannot use the power-enhancement ring which I enclose as a token of my wishes for an alliance. The ring is an old heirloom which will increase the magical abilities of whoever wears it. It si my hope that you choose to use the abilities it will grant you to join me against out mutual foe, Harry Potter._

_Should you choose to not use the ring, it will fetch twenty Galleons at_ Borgin and Burkes _. If, however, you decide to augment your powers and join me, then I can guarantee you greater wealth and the chance to reclaim all that Potter has stolen from you._

_The choice is yours. If I see you wearing the ring at lunchtime next Sunday in the Leaky Cauldron, I will introduce myself to you that we may join our efforts against the one who has harmed us both._

_The decision is yours._

_A Friend._

* * *

Millincent re-read the letter twice more, then looked at the ring thoughtfully.

The decision before would take quite a bit of contemplation, but she had time.

After all, these days, time was all that she had an abundance of.

* * *

.

"…huh?"

Harry came to a halt at the sight of Padfoot racing across his front lawn with a wolf. Glancing up to check that it was still daylight and not a full moon, he turned his attention back to the cavorting canines. After a moment, he grinned and sprinted forwards, leaping into the air and landing on all four paws, then galloping forwards to joyfully try to pounce Moony, who saw him coming and dodged out of the way with ease.

Standing in the shade of the trees to one side, Severus watched the trio romp across the lawn, a wistful expression on his face, then he turned on one heel and vanished with a faint _pop_ , leaving the trio to play until they collapsed from tiredness.

.

* * *

 **Reporter Returns  
** By _Melanie Flitterwicket_

 _Rita Skeeter has returned from her undercover assignment with a story_  
which will be published this weekend, a story about how former author  
and idol Gilderoy Lockhart was seduced by the promise of power...

...


End file.
